Allahabad, Nov 22: Seeking to mend ties with the Congress in the wake of simmering tension between the two alliance partners in Uttar Pradesh, the state Chief Minister and the Samajwadi Party national president Mulayam Singh Yadav said that he was open to give and take on issue based political support between the two parties. The SP has open mind on give and take of issue- based political support with the Congress, he told reporters in reply to a question whether he was apprehensive about the withdrawal of support to his government by the Congress in the wake of criticism by some Congress leaders.

Yadav, who was here to participate in the Iftar party at the residence of party M.P. Salim Shervani, denied that his party's decision to contest a sizeable number of assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh and other states going to polls next month, could weaken the prospects of the Congress in any way.

The SP has its own political agenda in MP where the party expected to win about 30 to 40 seats, he said adding his party would seek to focus on infra-structure development or lack of it, he said referring the Congress rule of ten years in the state. In reply to another question on the continuation of BJP leader Kesri Nath Tripathi as Speaker of the assembly was indicative of warming up of relations between his party and the SP, the Chief Minister cited past precedents at the Centre and in states and said the issue should not be read otherwise. Bureau Report