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Samajwadi Party to avoid division of secular votes
New Delhi, Aug 21: Samajwadi Party today said that it was committed to fight communal forces and would ensure that secular votes were not divided in the coming assembly elections in five states.
New Delhi, Aug 21: Samajwadi Party today said that it was committed to fight communal forces and would ensure that secular votes were not divided in the coming assembly
elections in five states.
"Whether there are any seat adjustments with Congress or not, we will have such an arrangement which would not benefit BJP and its allies," party general secretary Amar Singh reporters here when asked about possible tie-up in the coming assembly polls.
Ruling out a repeat of Gujarat elections where Samajwadi Party had fielded over 50 candidates, he said, "we will try seriously to avoid division of secular votes to defeat BJP. That is why we are not reacting to several things keeping in view the bigger battle against the communal forces".
Asked about the stand taken by sp on women reservation bill, boycott of Defence Minister George Fernandes and many other issues which differed from that of Congress, Singh said that the two parties were one in the fight against communalism.
"Samajwadi Party did not merge with Congress Party. We are united against the fundamental issue of communalism," he said adding that even Laloo Prasad do not follow Congress on Women Reservation Bill, or even left parties do not share the Congress view point on liberalisation or privatisation.
On the boycott of Fernandes in Rajya Sabha, he said, "It was Congress which had decided not to boycott Fernandes initially and this was communicated to me by senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee. But later Congress changed its position as RJD president Laoo Prasad Yadav and others opposed it".
Bureau Report
Ruling out a repeat of Gujarat elections where Samajwadi Party had fielded over 50 candidates, he said, "we will try seriously to avoid division of secular votes to defeat BJP. That is why we are not reacting to several things keeping in view the bigger battle against the communal forces".
Asked about the stand taken by sp on women reservation bill, boycott of Defence Minister George Fernandes and many other issues which differed from that of Congress, Singh said that the two parties were one in the fight against communalism.
"Samajwadi Party did not merge with Congress Party. We are united against the fundamental issue of communalism," he said adding that even Laloo Prasad do not follow Congress on Women Reservation Bill, or even left parties do not share the Congress view point on liberalisation or privatisation.
On the boycott of Fernandes in Rajya Sabha, he said, "It was Congress which had decided not to boycott Fernandes initially and this was communicated to me by senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee. But later Congress changed its position as RJD president Laoo Prasad Yadav and others opposed it".
Bureau Report