Jan Morcha: One constituent defends Rahul, other slams him

Lucknow, Apr 17 (UNI) In a guarded reaction to the recent statement of Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi, former Prime Minister V P Singh today said the creation of Bangladesh in 1971 was as per the will of the people of East Pakistan.

Reacting to the statement of Mr Gandhi that the Gandhi family had dismembered Pakistan, Mr Singh said Bangladesh was created respecting the feeling of people there.

The former Prime Minister neither defended Rahul directly nor slammed him for his statement which evoked sharp reactions from Islamabad. In fact, almost all the political parties have reacted sharply to Rahul's statement with the BJP describing it as 'immature'.

The Janmorcha leader may have given a guarded reaction but at the same time, another constituent of the party Alliance, the United Democtratic Front (UDF), termed the statement of the young MP as ''childish.'' A minister in the Mulayam Singh Yadav government, Haji Yakub Qureshi, who had recently joined the UDF termed the statement as ''bachkana'' (childish). Talking to reporters after press conference of Mr Singh, Mr Qureshi said the young MP should have avoided making such remarks.

Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) President Ram Vilas Paswan, who was present in the press conference, predicted a hung assembly in the state after the ongoing elections. ''It is upto the people to decide who would get the maximum number of seats...they will choose the winner,'' he added.

Mr Gandhi is holding road shows in the ongoing UP assembly polls campaigning in different parts of the state. He would be campaigning in Barabanki and parts of the eastern UP for three days starting tomorrow.

UNI