Mayawati as PM; Rajnath ridicules claim

Lucknow, Nov 25: Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh has ridiculed the claim of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati that she would be the next Prime Minister and said Bahujan Samaj Party has no political significance outside the state.

''BSP has no political stake outside the UP and would not at all have any impact in the Assembly elections in the four states,'' he claimed.

Talking to newspapers here, Mr Singh without taking any name said everyone was free to think anything but the reality should not be ignored in the process.

The BJP president also said there would be no third front in the coming Lok Sabha elections. ''Third front is a thing of past and most of its allies have already joined the NDA,'' he said.

He, however, did not informed when the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) of Ajit Singh would join the NDA formally.

Refusing to accept that the ongoing Assembly elections in six states was a 'semi-final' before the general elections, Mr Singh said election was just election and it could not be termed as semi-final or final.

''BJP will certainly be in power in at least four states in the ongoing elections and there is no doubt about NDA wresting the power from the UPA next year,'' he claimed.

The BJP president, however, showed his annoyance and even tried to leave the venue when the scribes asked him about the involvement of VHP leader Praveen Togadia in funding the Abhinav Bharat, the organisation which is under suspicion for tiggering blast at Malegaon and other places.

''I have already given my reaction over the issue and will not say a word more on this matter,'' Mr Singh maintained, when the newspersons pressed him for an answer.

Mr Singh also denied reports about his meeting with RSS chief K S Sudarshan last night in the state capital.

The BJP president was here on a private visit to attend a marriage function last night where he had met Mr Surdarshan also.

He left for New Delhi on a chartered flight where he is supposed to address couple of election meetings.

UNI