SP attacks meant to weaken UPA?

By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi

July 6: The Samajwadi Party is trying to weaken the Congress-led UPA by attacking Union ministers shortly after emerging as the saviour of the Manmohan Singh government. After questioning the performance of finance minister P. Chidambaram and petroleum minister Murli Deora, it has accused agriculture minister Sharad Pawar of "helping" the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra even before a trial of strength is to take place in the Lok Sabha.

Party general secretary Amar Singh has already set the agenda, ignoring whether it weakens "anti-communal" forces or embarrasses the PM and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

The other day, while talking to reporters and television channels, Mr Singh sought to equate Mr Deora with a "corporate honcho" for "ignoring" the problems of the middle class in the wake of the rising prices of petroleum products.

"If exports of cement and steel can be banned, why spare exports of petroleum products by private refineries? There should not be double standards," he had said. On Mr Chidambaram, he said: "Chidambaram is a close friend. I hold him in high esteem, but inflation is rising. I am not against Chidambaram but against inflation." Asked whether he had demanded the ouster of Mr Deora and Mr Chidambaram from the government, he said, "I am nobody to suggest that they should be sacked" but it was for the UPA to decide whether to retain ministers who are responsible for the rising prices of essential commodities and petroleum products.

In an interview to a TV channel, the SP general secretary accused agriculture minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar of helping the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, but he is yet to comment on the performance of DMK, RJD and LJP ministers.

The UPA leadership has not been able defend its own ministers who had presented dream budgets nor countered the SP’s attack made with some motives.

The SP, which has declared its support to the nuclear deal with the US shortly after meeting former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam a few days ago, did not take UNPA allies with it when Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav met him. Attacking his UNPA colleagues who were angry with the SP on its turnaround on the nuclear deal issue, Mr Amar Singh said that the National Conference’s Farooq Abdullah, though being part of the UNPA, had voted for UPA candidates during the presidential election.