Congress invites Samajwadi Party to join govt
NEW DELHI: The congress is brimming with confidence. In anticipation of getting the first invite from President Pratibha Patil after the poll results are out on Saturday, the party has moved in swiftly to mop up support and has invited Samajwadi Party to join a government led by it.
Spurred by its estimate that SP’s numbers won’t be very different from BSP’s and plagued by a nagging suspicion that Mayawati may not be averse to going over to the NDA, Congress conveyed its invitation to SP through senior leader Pranab Mukherjee when he met SP general secretary Amar Singh late Wednesday evening.
Mukherjee, who met Singh after Congress chief Sonia Gandhi reviewed post-poll plans with Manmohan Singh and a few close aides, including Mukherjee himself, told Amar Singh that Congress was ready to bury the hatchet. SP sources said that the foreign minister was keen on an early closure and even steered the discussion towards the fishes and loaves of office — portfolios that SP could get as part of the proposed power-sharing arrangement.
The intent was publicly amplified on Thursday when Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh expressed his regret for using “harsh” words for SP during the poll campaign. Considering that Digvijay Singh, after Rahul Gandhi, had plugged for Congress going it alone in UP and junk any seat-sharing with SP, his call to Amar Singh, during which he expressed his regret, was symbolically a major concession.
While Amar Singh confirmed that he had received the fence-mending call from Digvijay, he and his boss Mulayam Singh look set to drive a hard bargain with Congress. They are likely to test the Congress by demanding some key ministries like defence, external affairs, finance or home either for itself or for an alliance partner.
The Samajwadis are still smarting under Congress’s alleged failure to keep its side of the deal when SP stepped in to rescue the Manmohan Singh government and the nuclear deal. SP sources said they’ve now vowed to use their “head” rather than “heart” during negotiations. They may point to Mulayam Singh’s experience as defence minister in the United Front government to back their claim for one of the high-profile ministries.
The party, which seized upon Congress’ strained ties with RJD boss Lalu Prasad and LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan to forge a Fourth Front with them, is expected to negotiate with Congress as a bloc in order to maximise its bargaining clout. This may suit Lalu and Paswan as well, given that their numbers are expected to go down this time.
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SP could get as part of the proposed power-sharing arrangement.
sp will demand for ministry in different sector for sure