Two SP leaders up the ante against N-pact

Lucknow, Jul 2 (UNI) A day before Mulayam Singh Yadav takes the party's decision whether to support the UP government on the nuclear issue, the two SP and one Rashtriya Lok Dal leaders, including a Lok Sabha member from Muzaffarnagar, raised the banner of revolt if the SP supported the nuclear deal.

Toeing on the lines of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, who yesterday said the nuke deal was ''anti-Muslim,'' SP Muzaffarnagar MP Munnawar Hassan, SP MLA Gaurishanker and RLD MLA from Morna (Muzaffarnagar) Kadir Rana opposed the SP's move to support the pact.

Mr Hassan claimed that about 10 SP Lok Sabha members are with him opposing the deal and during the vote of confidence in Parliament they would defy the party whip.

However, the leaders did not openly came out in support of the BSP, but gave enough indications of their support to Ms Mayawati.

''Mulayam Singh Yadav was making two deals, first sending Mr Amar Singh to the US to deal with them on the Nuke agreement and the next with the Congress here,'' he alleged.

Mr Hassan, two time MP from Muzaffarnagar, said Muslims are against the deal as the US will only damage Muslim countries with the profit to be made through this deal.'' The main conspiracy was to sell the defunct nuclear power plant to India by US,'' he said,.

adding India could not sustain the costly power to be generated through the nuclear plants.

Attacking the party, he said Mulayam Singh Yadav had always ditched the Muslims for his nexus with the BJP and now, he was back stabbing the community by supporting the nuclear deal.

He also questioned the visit of former US President Bill Clinton at the residence of Mulayam during his regime.

The MP said more SP MP will join him as the alliance with the Congress was only to make Mr Yadav's family member as Central ministers and tomorrow's meeting of the UNPA is only drama.

When asked about his comment on the BJP's relationship with Mayawati, the SP MP said though Mayawati formed a government in the state three times with the BJP, but still she protected all the Muslims and never allowed the BJP to take the law into their hands.

SP MLA Gaurishanker, who represents Malihabad constitutency in the Lucknow district, also supported Mr Hassan saying it proves Mr Yadav's double standard. ''When the party has opposed the deal in the past then, why are they supporting it now,'' he questioned.

He said though he was not a Muslim, as a citizen of the country he did not approve this deal and was against the party's decision.

RLD MLA Kadir Rana said he also opposes the deal and supports Mr Hassan and other SP leaders, who have decided to go against the party's decision.

SP has 39 members in the Lok Sabha of which 8 are Muslims.

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