BJP supports CBI probe against Mulayam

Lucknow, Mar 8 (UNI) BJP, often charged by its political detractors with having soft corner with Samajwadi Party, today sought to clarify that it fully supported the CBI probe against UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav ordered by the Supreme Court.

''It is totally baseless, that BJP has sounded against the probe in Disproportionate Assets (DA) case against the SP president,'' BJP President Rajnath Singh told reporters here this evening.

Brushing aside reports published in a section of media about BJP's favourable stance towards Mr Yadav, the BJP chief said his party fully supported the SC view on the matter. ''We want the probe to take place as desired by the apex court,'' he maintained.

He said SP was BJP's political opponent and the BJP would fight tooth and nail in the coming seven-phase poll for 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly starting April 7.

Reflecting an upbeat mood of the party after its recent poll successes in Uttarakhand and Punjab, Mr Singh claimed the BJP was going to regain power in UP with a clear majority.

''We have Mulayam-led SP as main opponent in some pockets, whereas BSP and Congress were also its main opposition in some segments,'' he said thereby suggesting BJP was in the run everywhere in UP.

The BJP president was not forthcoming on the issue of seat adjustment with smaller NDA parties in the poll saying the matter had been left to the state unit to have a final say. ''Whatever UP BJP unit decides with regards to electoral adjustment would be acceptable to the central leadership.'' Mr Singh said BJP had already projected Mr Kalyan Singh as the chief ministerial candidate for the coming assembly poll as the party wanted to give a clean administration as was given by the 1991 Kalyan-led BJP regime in UP.

He said the party was fully geared up for the assembly poll and would approach the electorate with a positive frame of mind, supported by a whirlwind election campaign to be launched after the candidates were decided in March 10 and 11 meeting of Central Election Committee in New Delhi.

UNI