UNPA rift over Deal is open; Chautala sees SP as out of Alliance

New Delhi, Jul 5 (UNI) The rift in the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) over the nuclear deal is official now.

''Going by the decision Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav has taken, it seems the SP is out of UNPA, but the Alliance is intact and firm like a rock'' said Mr Om Prakash Chautala, President of the Indian National Lok Dal(INLD), which is among the founding members of the Alliance of what were originally seven regional parties.

UNPA was formed over a year ago as an alternative to the Congress and the BJP.

The INLD Chief's remarks came a day after SP chief Mr Yadav and Party general secretary Amar Singh met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and declared their open support to the Nuclear Deal and gave ample hints that their party with 39 MPs would come to the rescue of the Manmohan Singh Government if the Left withdrew their support.

Mr Chautala said Mr Yadav was the founder of the UNPA, and had been opposing the Nuclear Deal from the beginning, but the decision taken by him to back the Congress over the deal had really pained him.

Wondering what really prompted the SP chief to change his mind, he said the deal was neither in his own interest nor that of the nation.

When asked whether the SP should trust the Congress, the INLD chief said Mr Yadav has been insulted by the Congress in the past, and now it was up to it whether it wants suffer another humiliation.

The UNPA constituents at present are the SP, if it is to be counted at all now under changed circumstances, the TDP, the INLD, the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha, the Asom Gana Parishad and the National Conference.

UNI NAZ RSA RAI1310