Kalyan launches party
Rules out tie-up with SP

NEW DELHI, Dec 17 (PTI) — Expelled BJP leader Kalyan Singh today launched a new political outfit — Rashtriya Kranti Party (RKP) — and sought its recognition by the Election Commission.

Mr Kalyan Singh told reporters here that a three-member delegation headed by him met the Election Commission in connection with the registration of the new party and the commission directed it to complete the necessary formalities for the purpose.

He said the registration formalities would be completed by month-end.

The symbol of the party would be finalised after registration formalities were completed.

A day after he was expelled from the BJP on December 9, Mr Kalyan Singh had announced the launch of his new party but declined to reveal its name.

Mr Veer Singh Siroha, MLC, and former MP Om Prakash Nidar were the other members of the delegation, which met Election Commission.

Mr Kalyan Singh said “purification of Indian polity, establishment of a healthy democracy, end of criminalisation of politics and generation of employment will be some of the priorities of the new party.”

He said the mandir-masjid issue should be settled by religious leaders as politicians have no role to play in this contentious issue.

Mr Kalyan Singh made it clear that political inteference in the mandir-masjid issue would only complicate matters further and it should be left to religious leaders to sort it out. Mandir and masjid should be constructed at Ayodhya side by side and both Hindus and Muslims should be involved in the construction, Mr Kalyan Singh, who was charge-sheeted in the Babri masjid demolition case, said.

He said his party would have no electoral ties with any political party including the Samajwadi Party in elections to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly and would contest all 425 seats.

The expelled BJP leader said his assessment was that the BJP governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh would not last their full terms. He, however, declined to elaborate.

The main political plank of his new party is to ensure political economic and social justice to the downtrodden. It would press for inclusion of jats in the other backward classes category.

Mr Kalyan Singh said he would soon commence a rath yatra in Uttar Pradesh to carry this message to the people. Mr Vir Singh Saroha, MLC from Uttar Pradesh, and Mr Om Pal Singh Nidar, former MP, accompanied Mr Kalyan Singh when he called on the Chief Election Commissioner this morning to secure clearance for the new party.

Rajnath: I got him expelled

NEW DELHI, Dec 17 (UNI) — UP BJP President and union minister Rajnath Singh has said that he was responsible for getting former UP Chief Minister Kalyan Singh thrown out of the party.

Participating in a private channel programme,to be telecast on Sunday morning, he asserted that as a party chief, “it was I who asked for suspension. If Kalayn Singh wants to blame anyone, he should blame me”.

How can he accuse Atalji?”, he asked.

Asked if he conspired against Mr Kalayan Singh, the Cabinet Minister said “I had to meet the dissatisfied and the satisfied, each and everyone. I did meet them but not a single MLA can say I instigated MLAs against Mr Kalyan Singh”.