Congress 'bent on toppling Mulayam'

New Delhi: The Supreme Court judgment disqualifying 13 members of the Uttar Pradesh state assembly last week has put the state in the spotlight.

In an interview with Gulf News, Samajwadi Party (SP) Member of Parliament Shahid Siddiqui says that Congress and BJP are in cahoots with each other to overthrow the Mulayam Singh Yadav government.

Excerpts from the interview:

Gulf News: With the Left parties refusing to give their assent to the dismissal of the Mulayam Singh Yadav government, do you think that the crisis has been averted?

Shahid Siddiqui: The Congress is hell-bent on dismissing the Mulayam Singh Yadav government. Both the Congress and the BJP are in agreement over the issue.

Gulf News: Why is it that the Congress is so bitterly hostile to the SP and Mulayam, despite the fact that Congress supported the formation of an SP-led government?

Shahid Siddiqui: The Congress is bitter because the SP did not enable Sonia Gandhi to form a government in 1999. Secondly, the Congress Party thinks that it can regain its ground in Uttar Pradesh only by destroying the SP in the state.

Sonia has no base in any state. The Congress has less than 10 per cent vote in the state. This is an attempt to create a base for Sonia and Congress in UP.

Gulf News: The secular critics of SP say that Mulayam has a secret understanding with the BJP. What is your response?

Shahid Siddiqui: It is the SP which has checked the success of the BJP in UP. Earlier, the BJP was winning about 58 seats in the Lok Sabha out of a total of 80. It is SP that has brought down the BJP tally in Parliament to nine. As a matter of fact, it is the Congress and the BJP which are in agreement over the dismissal of the SP government. Ever since Congress has come to power in the Centre, Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP leader Narendra Modi has stopped attacking Sonia. On her part, Sonia has also stopped attacking Modi.

Gulf News: Will anti-incumbency be a factor in the upcoming assembly elections?

Shahid Siddiqui: It will not be a factor. The SP government has done more for UP in the past three years than has been done in the last 30 to 40 years. The other parties - Congress, BJP and BSP - want to join hands to destroy SP because SP is strong. If SP has lost popularity, the people will reject the party.

Gulf News: Has the SP alienated the Muslims?

Shahid Siddiqui: It has not alienated Muslims in any way. The SP government has created two universities for Muslims, Urdu teachers have been appointed and the madrassas have been made respectable. If the Muslims were to vote against SP it will benefit the BJP.