Cong to think over any alliance in UP after Floor Test

Lucknow, Jul 18 (UNI) The Congress today said talks with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and other partners on a poll alliance in Uttar Pradesh would commence after the July 22 confidence vote in the Lok Sabha.

''The Congress in UP was preparing itself for all the 80 Lok Sabha seats, but the party's state unit is ready for any alliance with the SP, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and others,'' said party national general secretary and in-charge in UP Digvijay Singh here.

Talking to mediapersons Mr Singh said the main agenda of the party for the poll alliance would be to prevent communal forces from coming to power at the Centre.

''In the last two days we have discussed poll strategy and inputs on the viable candidates in all the 80 seats, but the party was also ready to accommodate other parties for alliance,'' he added.

The Congress leader also ridiculed the allegation by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leaders of using the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Chief Minister Mayawati in the disproportionate assets case. ''CBI is an autonomous body and the Congress has never used it for political purpose,'' he said adding, CBI had asked the permission to file the chargesheet against Ms Mayawati from the Supreme Court, which is monitoring the case.

Mr Singh further added that the party had never interfered in the cases against Ms Mayawati or SP President Mulayam Singh Yadav.

He, however, asked the BSP leader to make public details of her disproportionate assets after the donors, whom she had mentioned could not donate such amounts as they themselves were starving.

UP Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi announced to suspend the 'Hisab Mango Abhiyan' with immediate effect due to the preparation for the Lok Sabha election.

''However, the party will prepare a booklet of the lapses detected in the Hisab Mango Abhiyan and present it to Ms Mayawati alongwith making it public,'' she said.

She said starting from end of this month and August, party will hold several public meetings and distribute pamplets to apprise the people about the Nuke deal, while after August 10, several meetings will be held in the state to thank the people, who had availed the loan waiver scheme of the centre.

UNI MB JAS AM VC1550