Rifts in SP on representatives in committee with Congress

NEW DELHI: Differences within Samajwadi Party ranks over the number of its representatives to the Congress-SP coordination Committee have led to postponement of its first meeting this week.

Though names of party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and general secretary Amar Singh had been initially proposed informally as representatives to the committee, there is a feeling in the party that an old socialist hand should also be included to make it more broad-based as far as SP is concerned.

Since the committee will be political in nature, SP sources said the presence of a veteran party leader in it was desirable to grapple with key decisions including those relating to seat-sharing with Congress in coming elections.

SP leaders in Delhi and Lucknow maintained that at least one more senior functionary should be included in the committee. "There are several leaders who had been with the party for long. They should be given a chance to be in the committee," a party leader said.

"He (Amar Singh) knows most of the leaders from all parties. He is an asset but there is a feeling that a party veteran should also be part of the committee," the leader added.

Earlier, there were indications that besides Yadav and Singh, party's another national general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav, brother of Mulayam, would also represent SP in the committee.

SP leaders have indicated that a formal announcement of names of its representatives to the committee would only be made through a consensual decision.

Source : Times Of India