Hours after issuing a veiled threat to withdraw support from the UPA government for its failure to take action against Pakistan,Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh made an U-turn. Rubbishing any threat to the government,he showered praise on Home Minister P Chidambaram for his handling of the situation post-terror strike. Chidambaram is working very practically and strongly. After (Mumbai) terror strikes,he has done a good job. He deserves encomium, Singh told reporters outside 10,Janpath after an hour-long meeting with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee. Earlier in the day,emerging from a meeting with Mukherjee,the SP leader had said that his party colleagues were really unhappy with the governments failure to take action against Pakistan. A majority of them are of the view that we should withdraw support to the UPA. Our parliamentary board will be meeting tomorrow and we may consider withdrawing support to the UPA government, he had declared. His veiled threat had come a day after the Supreme Court pulled up the CBI for its flip-flop on the disproportionate assets case against Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. Amar Singh,however,asserted that he was not upset about any court observation. We have enough documents to prove that our leader Mulayam Singh Yadav is aboveboard. My visit to 10,Janpath has nothing to do with this case, he said. Amending his earlier statement,Singh said: I didnt say we are withdrawing support¿ We are not like the Left to issue threats. His partymen,he said,were angry that the government is not attacking despite strong evidence that Kasab is a Pakistani citizen. We want action to be taken. Pranab Mukherjee understood our concerns. But the government has its own way of functioning. The SP threat,though retracted later,betrayed unease in the party over procrastination in finalising the seat-sharing arrangement with the Congress in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha election. Their talks are stalled over certain seats on which the Congress is laying claims. The SP leadership was earlier also upset about the Congress allegedly splitting its Madhya Pradesh unit. Four SP legislators had defected ahead of assembly election. Besides,the Congress is also said to be in touch with the SPs Karnataka unit,a large section of which is said to be in favour of a merger with the ruling party at the Centre. Referring to Israeli offensive in Gaza Strip,he said: The US is asking India to exercise restraint after the Mumbai attacks,while it says nothing to Israel which has pummelled Gaza with air strikes. The UPA also has bowed to US pressure and is doing nothing even as Pakistan President Asif Zardari continues to issue all sorts of statements. India to take harsh steps against Pak FAIZABAD: Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav said that within the next 15 days,India will take harsh steps against Pakistan for its involvement in terror activities in the country. During a brief stay in Faizabad while on his way to Bahraich,Yadav said: The Union government is not interested in holding talks with Pakistan on the issue of terrorism at any level. They have not served any purpose. Regarding the seat-sharing arrangement with the Congress in UP for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls,he said: It has been finalised and there is no confusion. Asked whether the SP will give tickets to leaders like Akbar Ahmed Dumpy and Mitrasen Yadav,sitting BSP MPs from Azamgarh and Faizabad,Yadav said: We are thinking of all possibilities. Dumpy and Yadav have been denied tickets by the BSP.
