14 November,2011 07:21 AM IST | | Varun Singh
SP chief, in the city to address a rally, also spoke of his preference for mass leaders over film stars, and ambitions of being kingmaker
"Amar Singh ka adhyay samapt ho chuka hai. (Amar Singh's chapter in Samajwadi Party (SP) is over now)." Thus responded SP President Mulayam Singh Yadav to a query whether he would consider taking back his estranged aide in the party at any time in the future.
The three-time chief minister of the largest political state Uttar Pradesh -- which has 80 Lok Sabha seats -- Mulayam Singh was in the city on Sunday to address a rally of his party members at Somaiya grounds at Sion, ahead of the BMC polls in February.
A party leader revealed that Mulayam Singh had once joked that he would impose a fine on anyone who would take Amar Singh's name in front of him. But Singh is not the only one unwelcome in the party. Film stars keep him company in the selective isolation from SP.
For, Mulayam Singh's no was categorical when asked if he would prefer to give tickets to movie actors in the upcoming UP elections. Incidentally, Jaya Prada, Bhojpuri star Manoj Tiwari, Sanjay Dutt, Nafisa Ali, and the Bachchan family, have all been associated with the party at some point.
Said a source from the party, "With the ouster of Amar Singh, all these people (film stars) have been sidelined. The party is now focussing on people who have been working at the ground level and have a mass base."
Asked about the current North Indian issue in the city, Mulayam Singh said, "Right now we face a threat from foreign countries. This is not the time to fight about the Marathi, non-Marathi, south Indian or any other issue.
People should talk about development and government policies and make that a plank during elections."
Regarding long-standing political rival and UP CM Mayawati, Mulayam Singh said, "Even the peon waiting outside the doors of the CM's office would be a crorepati by now. That's the depth of graft in the state and people are fed up with it."
Mulayam Singh also wants to be kingmaker in Delhi during the next general elections. The former defence minister reportedly told SP leaders in Mumbai, "We should have a number high enough in the Lok Sabha so that during the formation of the next government, SP is the kingmaker."u00a0
