Congress not 8216;untouchable8217;, says Mulayam

Mulayam said that Congress is not 'untouchable' for SP and the decision to support the party would be taken after UNPA meet.

Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Tuesday said that the talks between Amar Singh and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee were political and not meant for public.

8220;No decision on supporting Congress has been taken so far. Party stand on the issue will be taken only after the UNPA meeting on July 3,8221; Mulayam said.

In further signals that it may move close to Congress, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said on Tuesday that his party has no political enemies as National Security Adviser M K Narayanan will meet his party leaders for giving a briefing on the Indo-US nuclear deal on Wednesday.

Hectic activities marked the SP camp after Monday night8217;s meeting between Amar Singh and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee with Singh calling on CPIM General Prakash Karat on Tuesday.

Yadav, who arrived in New Delhi for consultations with party leaders ahead of the UNPA meeting on Thursday, made significant comments to say that his party had no political enemies though it may have ideological differences.

He added that in Uttar Pradesh BJP and BSP were8221; one force8221; for his party. Despite being ditched by BSP thrice in the past, the BJP was ready to go with it, he added.

After consultations with Yadav, who arrived here this morning from Lucknow, Singh met Karat and later told reporters that if anything 8220;new8221; on the nuclear deal was provided by the government the party was ready to consider.

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He said Narayanan will brief party leaders on Wednesday about the nuclear deal and his party would take a stand if a crisis erupts on the issue.

Both the leaders said the Left parties have given them all the inputs on the nuclear and on that basis the party had taken a stand. There was no need for changing it. 8220;So far we don8217;t have any new facts on the deal. Only when we get some new facts can we consider them, Singh said.

Singh dismissed his meeting with Mukherjee as personal. 8220;My relations with Pranab Mukherjee go back to my Congress days. I went to meet him on Monday night as we had to discuss some personal issue. There was nothing official about the meeting and it was a purely personal one,8221; he said.

8220;I still maintain that I have had no discussions with any Congress leader on the nuclear deal either officially or unofficially,8221; he said, adding that neither he nor Pranab Mukherjee were authorised to speak on the issue.

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On SP providing support to UPA on nuclear deal, Singh said 8220;that the issue does not arise right now as the Left parties are still supporting the UPA. There is no crisis as of now now. When the crisis comes, then we will see8221;.

8220;The issue of nuclear deal is to be dealt with by Left parties and UPA. Samajwadi Party has nothing to do with the deal as we have never been in the loop on it,8221; Singh added.

He accused the media of 8220;overdrive8221; and speculating on his each and every action. Maintaining that SP would take UNPA along whatever the situation, Singh said that BJP8217;s 8220;growing nexus8221; with BSP is also an issue which they would discuss on July 3.

8220;Advani during his Kanpur rally has opened his cards and by declaring SP as his enemy number one, he has given an open invitation to BSP. Communal and opportunistic forces are coming together,8221; Singh said