New Delhi, Jan 18: Terming Amar Singh as a part of history, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday made it evident that the exit of his one-time blue-eyed party general secretary would not affect the party. Reacting to a barrage of queries related to Amar Singh’s resignation, Yadav said: “Why do you talk about the past? I never believe in looking back. Think about what lies ahead and not history.”
He, however, declined to give a direct reply to pointed queries regarding Amar Singh, whom he had given such a free hand that it caused heartburn among Yadav’s long-time colleagues and committed socialists in the party. Yet significantly, the SP supremo looked more relaxed compared to a few days ago when he was mulling over Amar Singh’s resignation, submitted to the party Jan 6. The way he went about skirting and parrying questions on his one-time closest confidant made it clear that Amar Singh was a closed chapter for him. “However much you may try, you are not going to get anything more from me on this issue. Yes, I can assure you that some of your queries would get answered tomorrow when I will lead a huge demonstration in protest against the rise in prices and escalation in crime across the state,” he said.
Former Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh on Monday took his first public dig at party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, asking his supporters to ‘be Samajwadi and not Mulayamwadi’. A day after Yadav accepted his former confidant's resignation from all party posts, a combative Amar Singh said here: Unhone mujhe bandhan-mukt kar diya.(He has freed me.) Even while claiming that he would never speak out against Yadav, Amar Singh told reporters that he was now free to express his views on matters over which he kept mum as the SP general secretary. Flanked by actor-turned-politician Sanjay Dutt and scores of noisy supporters. And significantly, Amar Singh came out in support of English language and computer education, both of which Yadav detests. “There should be the same eduction for rural and urban children. I will now be promoting computer education in rural villages. I will also request Amitabh (Bachchan) to help me promote computer and English among rural children to fight their backwardness,” he said. The SP had in its Lok Sabha election manifesto pledged to ban English and computer education. Amar Singh said he would promote computers and English with the help of a NGO headed by SP Lok Sabha member Jaya Prada. Amar Singh, whose differences with Yadav’s family members are out in the open, added: “I have taken a vow never to speak out against the leadership of the Samajwadi Party. I will not break it. But as a senior party office-bearer there were issues I could not talk about. Now I will.”
Yadav’s former Man on Friday added that he would not quit the party unless forced to do so. “Till the time they do not throw me out, I will not leave the party,” said Amar Singh, who sounded more like a rebel than the long-time loyalist he has been in SP. Actor Sanjay Dutt, who had joined the Samajwadi Party last year, said he would follow his ‘elder brother’. Asked by reporters today whether he would remain with the party or with Amar Singh, Dutt said, “I had resigned as SP general secretary a day after my elder brother (Amar Singh) resigned from several party posts. I will go wherever he goes.” Dutt was accompanied by Singh during a press conference at the latter's residence after the SP leader returned from Mumbai earlier in the day. The actor was made SP general secretary just before last year's Lok Sabha elections. To a question if he was now a Samajwadi or Amarwadi, Dutt replied, "I am Amarwadi." (IANS)
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