No party is 'untouchable' in present scenario: Natwar

Lucknow, Apr 25: Hinting at the rather far-fetched post-pollpolitical equation in Uttar Pradesh,suspended Congress MP and formerexternal affairs minister Natwar Singh has said in the presentpolitical scenario in the state no one can be termed 'untouchable'.

The statement of Mr Singh was in direct response to a questionwhether there was a possibility of the ruling Samajwadi Party andBharatiya Janata Party joining hands after the polls.

''Nothing can be ruled out in the present politics in UP'' was thecomment of the former External Affairs minister, presently a starcampaigner of the ruling party in UP.

The comment of Mr Natwar Singh is likley to create ripples inpolitical circlese specially when the UP poll campaigning is becomingqueerer and the BJP has constantly been denying about even a remotepossibility of any truck with SP in any way.

The Congress and Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party have neverspared any opportunity to allege there was a tacit understandingbetween SP and BJP and the statement of Mr Natwar Singh is sure to fuelthis political arguement.

''In the present circumstances no political outfit can be termeduntouchable and anything is possible,'' Mr Singh said while talking tomediapersons last night.

The disgruntled Congress leader was of the view that the post-pollalliance in the state after May 11 will have an impact on the UniedProgressive Alliance(UPA) government at the Centre.

Expressing the possibility of a hung assembly after the polls, MrSingh, an accused in the food-for-oil scam, said all the threepolitical parties-- SP, BJP and BSP-- would get one hundred seats andif Congress wins around 50 seats then they will have a say in the nextgovernment formation.

He, however, differed with the opinion of chief minister MulayamSingh Yadav over the role of Election Commission in the ongoing pollssaying the EC had performed well to ensure free and fair polls in thestate.

Making a critical attack on the Dr Manmohan Singh-led governmentfor failing to address the people's grievances in their aboutthree-year tenure, the former external affairs minister said thealliance partners of the UPA will certainly have to re-think abouttheir support against a backdrop of the UP assembly poll result.

''With just two years remaining for the general election, now thethe alliance partners of UPA are seriously thinking of snapping tiesover the failures of the centre'', he said.

Commenting on the prospect of a third front in the country, mootedby Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mr Singh said there isall possibility of the emergence of a third front as people are nowfrustrated with the Congress and BJP.

UNI

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