'NDA's support was for any UNPA candidate': Jaswant

New Delhi, Jul 5 (UNI) Senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh today virtually confirmed the claim of Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh that former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh was offered Prime Ministership by the NDA during the Presidential polls in July 2007, but said the offer was made to the UNPA and not to any individual candidate.

Asked about the claims of Mr Amar Singh, Mr Jaswant Singh conceded to newspersons that he had made the offer of an 'outside support to the UNPA's Prime Ministerial candidate A, B or C and not to any individual'.

Mr Jaswant Singh said the NDA had authorised him to make the offer of extending outside support to the UNPA led coalition in return for its support to then Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat's elevation to the Presidential post. He had indeed gone to the UNPA's meeting held at a five-star hotel in Delhi and made the offer first to former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. She said she would ascertain the proposal with her other UNPA colleagues at the meeting. He said he had made similar offers to individual leaders and had to return in the absence of any response from these leaders.

As far as Mr Amar Singh's claim that the offer was made to Mulayam Singh, Mr Jaswant Singh said the UNPA could have chosen anybody for the top job.

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