RLD chief Ajit Singh on Thursday said both TRS leader K Chandrasekhar Rao and CPI general secretary A B Bardhan had approached him and solicited support to topple the UPA Government. He also said that Rao had contacted him with Mayawati’s offer to join hands with the BSP in UP. Singh with three MPs however remained non-committal and declared that he needs more time to decide his position on the trust vote.Following a half-hour-long meeting with Bardhan, Singh said, “We discussed the present political situation and elections and alliances in the future. I will discuss Bardhanjee’s offer with my party leaders and take a decision soon.” Bardhan said Singh was opposed to the nuke deal but was undecided about the trust vote.Bardhan’s meeting with Singh was a follow-up of the BSP-Left’s joint effort to topple the UPA Government during the vote of confidence. Sources said Bardhan tried to convince Singh that he stands to gain far too much politically if he joins hands with the BSP in UP instead of going with the Congress-SP combine. Singh on his part stressed that he was caught between two “devils”— the SP and the BSP — in the state and it was difficult for him to make a choice. Singh confirmed The Indian Express report that Mayawati was trying to woo him to vote against the UPA and said, “Rao had contacted me with Mayawati’s message and said he will discuss it with me when he arrives here on July 18. There is nothing more to it.” Rao is scheduled to reach Delhi on Friday evening and is expected to visit Singh’s 12 Tughlaq Road residence to hold talks over dinner. Parleys between JD(S) leader Deve Gowda, TDP’s Chandrababu Naidu, AGP and a couple of Independent MPs is also scheduled during the same time. Everything will converge at one point when BSP chief Mayawati reaches here on July 20 to meet all the leaders in her desperate bid to oust the UPA. Despite his inclination towards the Congress, the RLD leader so far has kept everyone guessing by keeping his channels open to both sides. Though he has not ruled out the option of aligning with Mayawati he feels it could prove dangerous for his political future. “While Mulayam is known for backstabbing, Mayawati kills you directly,” an RLD leader quoted Singh as saying. He said Singh wanted to settle the issue directly with the Congress without involving the SP. But so far a deal of his liking has not come about.The Government on Thursday tried to appease Singh by naming Lucknow airport after his father Chaudhary Charan Singh. “The right decision has been taken but it came a little too late,” was Singh’s reaction to the move.
