Samajwadi Party bars top official from polls

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav ruled out the possibility of party general -secretary Amar Singh contesting the Lok Sabha elections.

Yadav revealed that Amar Singh had wanted to fight the polls but that he had denied him permission.

He also ruled out any tie-up with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said the question of an alliance with the BJP would not arise under any circumstances.

Yadav was addressing a press conference at the party headquarters in Lucknow yesterday after staging a walkout in the Assembly as he charged that the State Government was responsible for crushing parliamentary traditions and avoiding discussions on the Budget.

He said that his party had always fought against the BJP and no body could raise finger at his party. He also said former BPJ leader Kalyan Singh would not form any political party but would campaign independently, instead.

Meanwhile, a New Delhi court slapped Yadav with Rs5,000 (Dh369.8) yesterday after he failed to appear before the court yet once again in a case in which he is charged with slapping a man who allegedly tried to extort money from him.