RJD, LJP insulted Congress: Moily

NEW DELHI: The spat between the Congress and its partners in the government, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), went up a notch Friday, with the Congress spokesperson accusing them of "insulting" it over seat-sharing in Bihar.

"We should be more angry. We never wronged them... It's only Paswan (Ram Vilas Paswan of LJP) and Laluji (Lalu Prasad of RJD) for reasons best known to them, they left us only two seats," Moily told reporters here.

The RJD and LJP chiefs, key members of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), seem to be annoyed over Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi's praise of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar.

The Congress' ties with the RJD as well as the LJP have been strained to the breaking point over seat-sharing in Bihar. Rahul Gandhi's comments about Nitish Kumar added to the tensions.

But the Congress was now in a fighting mood. "They left us only two out of 40 seats in Bihar. A national party like the Congress party can't gulp this kind of insult," said Moily.

He added that had there been "harmonious discussions" before the elections, "the situation would not have come to this".

Moily also had harsh words for the Bihar chief minister after wooing him. Unhappy over Nitish Kumar's rebuff to the Congress, Moily said that he "thinks too much of himself". "He will regret staying with BJP. We are not reaching out to him".

Lalu Prasad and Paswan, meanwhile, decided to skip Friday's cabinet meeting.

In Kolkata, Paswan said he was skipping the cabinet meeting as he had a previously scheduled election meeting in the West Bengal capital. "Moreover, there was no agenda of my ministry (in the cabinet meeting)," he added.

Denying any tensions over Rahul Gandhi's remarks on Nitish Kumar, Paswan said: "The Congress has already clarified what Rahulji wanted to say. I am with the UPA. LJP, RJD is with the UPA. And we will remain with UPA."

The steel minister added that any overtures by the Congress and the Left to Nitish Kumar will be unsuccessful. "What is the reality? Nitish kumar is with the BJP. And if anybody wants to talk with Nitish, then first he has to leave the BJP. I don't think that he will leave BJP."

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NSA against Varun invalid: UP advisory board

NEW DELHI: The UP advisory board said on Friday that the use of the National Security Act against BJP leader Varun Gandhi, invoked for his alleged communal remark, was not valid.

"NSA invoked against the BJP leader Varun Gandhi has been held invalid by the board," UP home secretary Javed Ahmad said, PTI reported.

Varun had appeared in person before the advisory board on April 28 and explained that the CD on the basis of which an FIR was lodged against him was doctored.

29-year-old Varun, who is on parole granted by the Supreme Court, was detained under the NSA on March 28 on charges of inciting communal passion by making provocative and inflammatory speeches during election meetings in Pilibhit on March seven and eight.

The Mayawati government will now examine the board's decision before taking a view on whether or not to drop the charges under NSA against Varun.

The panel, which met on Friday, was not convinced by the material provided by the Pilibhit district magistrate.

Varun alleged that NSA was invoked against him with a political motive to sabotage his electoral debut but this was refuted by the UP government.

The board said it did not find "plausible and convincing" grounds for the NSA being invoked against Varun nor was it satisfied by the explanation given by the Pilibhit DM.

FIRs were registered against Varun for allegedly delivering inflammatory speeches in Dalchand locality of Pilibhit, about 300 km from Lucknow on March 7 and in Barkheda village on March 8.

Source : Times Of India

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Amar threatens to quit SP over Azam Khan issue

RAMPUR (UP): In an ultimatum to Mulayam Singh Yadav over the Azam Khan issue, SP
leader Amar Singh has threatened to quit the party after the Lok Sabha polls, accusing the Muslim leader of making "intolerable utterances" against him.

Singh said he would decide over continuing in the party after the end of the final phase of polls, referring to Yadav's statement that 'party mein rehna hai to Azam Khan ko khush rakhna hai' (If you want to remain in the party, you will have to keep Azam Khan happy).

"Azam Khan is a favourite of Mulayam Singhji and in spite of his (Khan) intolerable utterances against me, I was being asked to keep silent," Singh said addressing a public meeting in Rampur, 250 km from Lucknow, on Thursday.

Singh said he is expecting a shoe as a "gift" from his estranged party colleague Azam Khan, claiming he (Khan) must have readied one by now.

At the meeting in support of party candidate Jayaprada, Singh said, "I am waiting for a shoe from Mr Azam Khan. I sincerely invite him to come forward and hand me over the shoe which he is supposed to have readied by now."

"I am impatiently waiting for the moment when Mr Khan will implement his plan out of proportion to insult me," he said angrily.

"If a shoe comes from Khan, I would first decorate this precious gift and then place it in a museum," he said.

Taking exception to the "order" of Yadav that "if I have to stay in Samajwadi Party, I have to bear with Azam Khan," Singh said he had been told by the party chief, "You don't have to say anything, keep absolutely quiet.

"But now I am disobeying this order publicly. And I am doing this because there is a limit to how much one can bear," the SP general secretary said.

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