Congress still 'technically' supporting Mulayam: Gehlot

Lucknow, Dec 7 (UNI) The Congress today admitted that despite differences with the Samajwadi party, it was still supporting the Mulayam Singh Yadav government ''technically''.

Talking to newspersons here on the sidelines of a programme of Uttar Praesh Congress, AICC general secretary in-charge of UP affairs Ashok Gehlot said, ''Technically Congress was still supporting the Samajwadi Party government in the state...it is like the way SP is supporting the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) at the Centre.'' He, however, maintained the two parties had huge differences in their political ideologies.

The AICC general secretary also sought to adistance his party from the ongoing debate on the possibilities of imposition of President's rule in the state during the upcoming assembly election.

Though, he agreed that free and fair assembly elections were not possible in the state with Mr Yadav as the Chief Minister, imposition of President's rule was the sole discretion of the Governor, he said.

''We can approch the Raj Bhawan on various issues, we can never influence the governor's decision,'' he said.

To a question on desecration of Dr Ambedkar's statues in Kanpur and Allahabad, he wondered why the state government was not ready for a CBI probe into the incidents.

''If the Centre is ready, then why should the state government refuse a probe by the central agency,'' he quipped.

UNI NAB/MB SB SK ND1502