Jamshedpur, Sept 24: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav today said that his Samajwadi Party was prepared to go closer to BJP if it agreed to forgo its political agenda such as the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and uniform civil code. Yadav, who flew in here from Lucknow to attend the Samajwadi Party's two-day national executive meeting from tomorrow, said that if the BJP gave up pet issues like Ayodhya and abolition of Article 370 and reversed its attitude towards Muslims, the SP was prepared to bridge differences with BJP.
Mulayam Singh, who was accompanied by party general secretary Amar Singh, said that the contribution of the Muslims to the country's defence was no less than that of Hindus and Christians. To a question whether Congress support to his government in UP would open up the door for alliance between the two parties in the coming assembly polls in five states, the SP chief said, "It will be an issue-based relation with Congress. But SP will not be in a cartel and will maintain issue-based relations with Congress and other parties."
"We are prepared to take support from Congress, at the same time, we are ready to support them," he said. On corruption charges against the erstwhile Mayawati government in UP, he said, "We don't believe in political vendetta. The law will take its own course."
On Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani being discharged by the Rae Bareli special court in the Babri Masjid demolition case, Yadav said that his party honoured the court verdict.
Asked about the arrest of former UP minister and SP leader Amarmani Tripathi, Yadav was evasive and said, "Whatever had happened before his joining the Samajwadi Party. The issue is being investigated by the CBI." Bureau Report