''Sweet'N' Sour'' relationship with Cong will continue: Mulayam

New Delhi, May 19 (UNI) While telling its MPs that the ''sweet'n' sour''relationship with the Congress will continue, the Samajwadi Party today said it was open to new alignments for the coming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh but will contiunue ties with the Left parties and others forged in the last elections.

''The decision about new partners for the February, 2007 elections will be taken up depending on their affinity to the party's programmes and policies and the political situation prevailing at the time,'' Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said addressing a meeting of SP Parliamentary Group, a senior party functionary told UNI.

Mr Yadav called upon his MPs to gear up for the elections and strengthen their base.

''Elections are less than a year away, and nobody would like to align with you on fair terms unless you are strong,'' he said.

He asked the MPs to go to their constituencies and create awareness about the party's programmes of mass welfare. Last time the party was short of 55 seats, but this time this gap has to be fulfilled, which would not be possible unless partymen worked on a war footing, he added.

The view that emerged at the meeting was that the BJP was out of race in the state and the main fight will be with the Bahujan Samaj Party.

As for the Congress, Mr Yadav just said that the 'khatti-meethi' (sweet'N' sour) relationship with the party would continue. Mr Yadav's comments came two days after the Congress legilsature party leader in the Assembly Pramod Tiwari lavished praise on the SP government in the state for ''the various measures it had taken for the welfare of the people.'' Mr Tiwari's remarks were in sharp contrast to the scathing attack launched against Mr Yadav's government by his party chief Sonia Gandhi and her MP son Rahul Gandhi and during the campaigning for the Rae Barely byelection.

The SP Parliamentary meeting was held to take stock of the political situation and also to welcome the newly elected party MPs.

UNI NAZ VD BD1829