Kalyan steps up anti-PM tirade
Tribune News Service and agencies

NEW DELHI, Nov 26 — Dissident BJP leader Kalyan Singh today stepped up his tirade against Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee saying party leaders who were equally responsible for the debacle in Uttar Pradesh had been given berths in both central and state governments.

Talking to mediapersons here, Mr Kalyan Singh, however, declined to name these leaders, but the reference to state BJP President Rajnath Singh, who was made Union Surface Transport Minister, and inclusion of Mr Lalji Tandon and Mr Kalraj Mishra in the UP Ministry was evident.

An unrelenting Mr Kalyan Singh said he would reveal his future course of action and the reasons for the party’s debacle in Uttar Pradesh shortly. He said he had no plans to meet either Mr Vajpayee or Home Minister L.K. Advani during his stay in the Capital.

Samajwadi Party leader Sakshi Maharaj held a brief meeting with Mr Kalyan Singh this afternoon. "There is nothing secretive about my meeting with Mr Maharaj," Mr Kalyan Singh said.

Indicating at the bitterness between him and Mr Vajpayee, Mr Kalyan Singh said the Prime Minister postponed his visit to Lucknow, his Lok Sabha constituency, till a decision was taken on his removal as Chief Minister.

Reiterating the charge that Mr Vajpayee had made up his mind to remove him, he said he could have resisted it by insisting on a trial of strength in the Assembly. He claimed he had the support of 150 MLAs, but he decided to obey "Mr Vajpayee’s order to resign."

Asked whether the Ram Prakash Gupta government would complete its term, he declined to comment and said the question should be posed to the Chief Minister.

Mr Kalyan Singh confirmed reports that he was offered a Cabinet berth in the Union Government. "I declined the offer because a leader found unfit to rule Lucknow cannot be competent in Delhi."

The Union Home Minister, Mr L.K.Advani today described the former Chief Minister’s utterances as "extremely irresponsible and factually baseless".

Disagreeing with Mr Kalyan Singh that he was removed from chief ministership at the behest of Mr Vajpayee, the Home Minister said the BJP leadership had been contemplating a change in the UP leadership for the past four months and "it was not just a collective decision but a unified view of the party".

Mr Kalyan Singh, who announced in Aligarh yesterday that his next political move was in the final stage today, remained silent on his future plans. "Aam ko pakne do. Main ise sadne nahi doonga (Let the mango ripen. I will not allow it to rot), he observed.

Notwithstanding the Prime Minister’s clarification in Lucknow that Mr Kalyan Singh alone was not responsible for the BJP’s reverses in the Lok Sabha elections in UP and that he would not be punished for his embarrassing statement in Ayodhya a day before his removal from the chair (that the BJP had suffered in the elections because of its decision to put major issues like Ram Mandir, Article 370 and uniform civil code on the backburner), the former Chief Minister maintained Mr Vajpayee had made a prestige issue to remove him.

"As long as Vajpayee is Prime Minister, he would not like to see me as Chief Minister or in any other position", he said.

Justifying Mr Kalyan Singh’s removal, Mr Advani said the former Chief Minister had himself admitted that the Lok Sabha outcome in UP was a "debacle".

"To say that he was not given an opportunity to give his point of view is equally untrue,", he said adding the "kind of distrust which is being generated, the party cannot afford".

Mr Advani said he along with the party President, Mr Kushabhau Thakre and Mr Vajpayee were party to all decisions regarding the UP leadership issue. He said Mr Singh’s contention that the change of leadership was due to Mr Vajpayee alone was not correct and he and Mr Thakre had personally asked Mr Kalyan Singh to give his views to the Centre.

Mr Advani said the former Chief Minister was also consulted on his replacement and "he told us that you suggest any name and I will accept it". Saying that Mr Kalyan Singh should accept the party decision with grace, Mr Advani said the kind of statements he was issuing only increased the gulf.

The party general secretary, Mr K.N. Govindacharya, was more cautious in his reaction saying "the party has taken note of Mr Kalyan Singh’s statements".

On Mr Kalyan Singh’s criticism of the party, he said: "Such outbursts definitely hurt the image of the party."

He rebutted the charge that Mr Vajpayee did not want him to continue as Chief Minister or hold any other position as long as he was Prime Minister saying "his contention is unrelated to truth. The fact that he was offered a post in the Union Cabinet is a pointer to the central leadership’s attitude, including that of Mr Vajpayee, towards Mr Kalyan Singh".

Friendly or political hug?

NEW DELHI, Nov 26 (PTI) — For a few hours, political divides were pushed into the background as leaders cutting across hues attended a reception hosted by Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav for his son's marriage.

But the schism between Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and ousted UP Chief Minister Kalyan Singh was too glaring.

However, a broad smile flashed across the faces of Mr Kalyan Singh and Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav when they hugged each other watched by top leaders of parties across the political spectrum, possibly signalling a realignment of forces in Uttar Pradesh.

"Hum to ab galey mil rahen hain. Haath milane ki kya baat hain", quipped Mr Kalyan Singh as political grapevine buzzed with speculation about his next political move.

"Hum bewafa the isliey mujhko ye saja mili. Shayad unhe talash thi kisi bewafa ki"

The turnout at the reception was virtually a roll-call of "who is who" in Indian politics, including President K.R. Narayanan, Vice-President Krishan Kant and Mr Vajpayee.

But the focus was on Mr Vajpayee and his bete noire Kalyan Singh, both of whom were present a day after the former Chief Minister fired the salvo against the Prime Minister.

The two estranged leaders did not talk to each other though they posed for a photo session.

Not far away from the bonhomie between Mr Kalyan Singh and Mr Yadav, BJP General Secretary K.N. Govindacharya, who was present at the reception, told mediapersons that Mr Kalyan Singh had "closed all doors for himself" in the party by his utterances against the party leadership.