I will not pacify Ajit Singh: Mulayam Singh Yadav

Lucknow, Jan 10: As Uttar Pradesh faces political uncertainty following withdrawal of Rashtriya Lok Dal(RLD) from the ministry, Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav today said that he would not strive too hard to pacify Mr Ajit Singh.

Disclosing that the government is yet to receive the resignation letter of the RLD ministers, Mr Yadav said he had a chat with Mr Singh on his demand over the sugarcane price while Mr Amar Singh had contacted him regularly to sort out his grievances.

Addressing a press conference here, the CM termed the act of the RLD 'unfortunate' as they could have talked to him directly before taking the ''hasty'' decision to quit the ministry.

When asked if the RLD was in touch with the Congress in connection with the resignation, Mr Yadav said ''I can't say what they want but only know after Congress, now RLD is annoyed with the SP without any reason''.

''Now it would be on the part of the RLD to talk to us about their grievances as we are always ready to sort out the differences without any ego problem'', he added.

When asked if RLD MLAs were in touch with the government and are ready to join the Samajwadi Party, the CM asserted that his party did not indulge in breaking other political outfits, ''but if they want to join us, they are welcome to do so.'' Narrating in detail the government's view on the sugarcane price, he blamed the Centre's policy to ban export of sugar for the decrease in price.

''We have given Rs 120 per quintal to farmers when the sugar price was Rs 20 per kilogram last year but this year the government has hiked the price of cane by Rs 10 even when the sugar price has dipped to Rs 15 per kg,'' he said, adding if the government had increased the cane price more than Rs 10, then the mills might have decided to close down their operations.

Giving details of the achievement of his government, he said the foremost success was that no farmers' agitation was held in the regime while the payment of sugarcane was regularised.

''In the past government, farmers had to launch agitation and they were even killed for raising their genuine demands'', he claimed.

UNI

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