RLD not averse to pre-poll alliance

Lucknow, Aug 12 (UNI) Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) today said it will soon take a decision on whether it will contest the 2007 assembly election in UP on its own or in alliance with some other party.

RLD is the major ruling alliance partner of the Samajwadi Party-led Uttar Pradesh government.

Talking to newspersons here, RLD president and former Union minister Ajit Singh maintained that although the party was part of the state government, it would deliberate on with whom to forge an alliance for the next year's polls.

''SP and RLD have separate policies...there are some roadblocks in the development of UP, which need to be addressed,'' he added.

On state urban development minister Mohd Azam Khan's suggestion to carve out 'Muslim Pradesh' in western UP instead of 'Harit Pradesh' as demanded by RLD, Mr Singh observed India was a secular country and it was not possible to create any state on basis of religion and caste.

''The politics of religion and caste cannot survive for long in India. BJP rode to power once in the name of religion, but its condition is now for everyone to see,'' he noted.

Mr Singh alleged the state government had acquired farmers' land at the rate of Rs 16 lakh per acre, while the same was sold to real estate developer Unitech for Rs 5.41 crore per acre.

''If the government acquires land for power projects, the farmers should be compensated at market rate,'' he suggested.

Earlier, the RLD chief addressed a conference of state weavers.

He demanded that a Weavers' Commission be constituted by the central government for their amelioration of their condition.

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