SP ready to offer secular space

Even as the SP and the Congress continue with the blame game over their failure to forge a ‘‘secular alliance’’, the former has said that it has kept the Amethi seat vacant and that it is ready to field a joint Opposition candidate against PM A.B. Vajpayee in Lucknow.

However, speaking to mediapersons today, SP general secretary Amar Singh ruled out any poll pact with the Congress. He said: ‘‘We have still not declared a candidate in Amethi and the last word has not been said on Lucknow. We are ready to reconsider our decision on Lucknow provided the Congress ensures the BSP withdraws its candidate.’’

While the party is ready not to field a candidate against Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, Singh reiterated that they would not withdraw their nominee from Rae Bareli (Sonia Gandhi’s constituency) as preparations have begun there. ‘‘Soniaji is a big leader, she can contest from anywhere,’’ he said.

Singh also took exception to Congress leader Arjun Singh’s comments yesterday, where he not only denied threatening to withdraw support to the SP government, but also for calling him an ‘‘agent’’ of Hindutva forces, by supporting the BJP and RSS. Singh clarified: ‘‘We will never even give a TDP kind of support to the BJP.’’