My brother, Amar getting threat calls: Mulayam

The UP CM has raised the issue several times in the recent past at public meetings in the state. He had also accused the Central government of phone-tapping, which Home Minister Shivraj Patil vehemently denied.

While the SP is yet to raise the issue with the Centre, Amar Singh says the threats to his life and those of his colleagues are real. ‘‘It is up to government investigating agencies to find out about threat perceptions and provide security as and when they receive complaints,’’ said Singh.

He, however, believes it is more political rivalry than dacoity that has prompted the calls. ‘‘Unfortunately, gone is the era where political rivals are treated with dignity,’’ he said. ‘‘I have been told by a journalist-turned-politician who hops from one party to another during every regime, that (M.K.) Narayanan (National Security Adviser) wants to fix me.’’

‘‘Today, you have to be subservient, humble or a slave to the ruling party. The politics of intolerance is very bad for the country,’’ Singh adds, taking a dig at his arch-rivals, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and MP Rahul Gandhi.

Singh refused to comment on the calls Anil Ambani had received, saying ‘‘I want to steer clear of the controversy as I do not want to be accused of poking my nose in the Ambani affairs. It is up to the government to assess and analyse the situation.’’

Some criminals caught in Kanpur earlier had confessed to targeting Yadav and Singh.