BHOPAL: Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has said that he had proposed to state Congress chief Kamal Nath to give four seats to Samajwadi Party (SP) in the ensuing Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, but he doesn’t know what happened after that.
Speaking informally with reporters at his office, he said that Nath had sent three state Congress leaders to discuss a possible alliance with the SP with him.
“The SP was asking for six seats but on the basis of their performance in the previous election, we thought four seats could be given to them. They had won Bijawar seat and in two others, they finished second. What happened after that I am not aware,” he added.
The former MP chief minister, who is also a Congress Working Committee (CWC) member, said that he had raised the issue of the alliance with INDIA bloc parties in the CWC meet and the party leadership left it to the leadership of respective states to take the call.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had accused Congress of talking to SP leaders over an alliance in Madhya Pradesh and then declaring its candidates on all seats on its own. “If I had known that the Indian alliance is only for Lok Sabha election, I would not have not sent my party leaders for talks over the seat alliance with Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath,” he had said.
When Nath was asked about Akhilesh Yadav’s statement, Nath brushed it aside, saying: “Akhilesh-Vakhilesh Ko Chhodo (Let’s not talk about Akhilesh).”
However, Digvijaya said that Akhilesh is a good politician, who is ably carrying forth the legacy of late Mulayam Singh Yadav. “I am sure of one thing that he and the Samajwadi Party will not go with the BJP, no matter what,” he said. The SP has declared candidates on 33 seats of the 230 seats in MP.
Speaking informally with reporters at his office, he said that Nath had sent three state Congress leaders to discuss a possible alliance with the SP with him.
“The SP was asking for six seats but on the basis of their performance in the previous election, we thought four seats could be given to them. They had won Bijawar seat and in two others, they finished second. What happened after that I am not aware,” he added.
The former MP chief minister, who is also a Congress Working Committee (CWC) member, said that he had raised the issue of the alliance with INDIA bloc parties in the CWC meet and the party leadership left it to the leadership of respective states to take the call.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had accused Congress of talking to SP leaders over an alliance in Madhya Pradesh and then declaring its candidates on all seats on its own. “If I had known that the Indian alliance is only for Lok Sabha election, I would not have not sent my party leaders for talks over the seat alliance with Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath,” he had said.
When Nath was asked about Akhilesh Yadav’s statement, Nath brushed it aside, saying: “Akhilesh-Vakhilesh Ko Chhodo (Let’s not talk about Akhilesh).”
However, Digvijaya said that Akhilesh is a good politician, who is ably carrying forth the legacy of late Mulayam Singh Yadav. “I am sure of one thing that he and the Samajwadi Party will not go with the BJP, no matter what,” he said. The SP has declared candidates on 33 seats of the 230 seats in MP.