In a surprise move, Samajwadi Party claimed that erstwhile leader Amar Singh is welcome in the Party and it is upto him to decide when to rejoin the party. “Amar Singh is a family member and there is no question of any confusion in it,” announced SP general secretary and UP PWD minister Shivpal Singh Yadav here on Saturday afternoon. Adressing media persons here at Party office, Yadav also clarified that there is no controversy over the merger of the Janata Pariwar and the decision over the name of the party and the symbol would be taken very soon. Yadav said that doors for the re-entry of Amar Singh in the party had never closed and he even hinted that the erstwhile leader could also be given the Rajya Sabha ticket.
“Singh is always like a family member and on Friday too he had a long talk with Mulayam Singh Yadav in New Delhi. The names of the Rajya Sabha candidates would be decided by the Central parliamentary board headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav,” he stated while contradicting that nor Amar Singh or Jaya Prada had sought ticket for the UP legislative council. Earlier it was reported that Jaya Prada was nominated for the legislative council by the UP government.
Meanwhile, Yadav said that the process for the Janata Party merger was going on in a smooth way. “Today there was a meeting in New Delhi in which several issues were discussed. All the six parties have authorized Mulayam Singh Yadav for the merger and now technical formalities are being discussed,” he further added. Meanwhile, Yadav alleged that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre was neglecting Uttar Pradesh and has not sent a single paise for distribution of compensation to the farmers affected with unseasonal rains.
“ Against the demand of Rs 2447 crores sent by the UP government to the Centre, the Modi government has just sent Rs 253 crores as a routine fund in April last and has refused to entertain the state’s demand till now,” said Yadav. UP government has already distributed Rs 1739.58 crores to the farmers through its own resources even as the state has sanctioned Rs 2500 crores for the same. He alleged that the PM was only interested in visiting foreign countries but has no concern for the farmers or common people, he said while adding that the one year regime of the BJP government has increased the miseries of the people and not a single promise were fulfilled.
Yadav said that recently Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had announced that the Centre had sanctioned Rs 508 crores for UP, but the state was yet to receive it. “It is unfortunate that PM is from UP besides majority of the Union ministers but still the state is being neglected,” he added while questioned that people should enquiry what PM does during his foreign visit. Meanwhile, the minister threatened the Madhya Pradesh government of lodging of FIRs against their officers if they do not release water from the Ban Sagar Dam to UP.
Releasing a letter of the Union water resources secretary Anuj Kumar Bishnoi in which he had directed the MP Chief Secretary to immediately release the water from Ban Sagar Dam, Yadav said he had apprised Union water resources minister Uma Bharati over the issue and take prompt action against the MP government. “ Even after paying entire share of the project, UP is yet to get single drop of water from the dam leading to severe irrigational water crisis in Mirzapur and Allahabad districts,” he said.
The minister further threatened that even after the Centre’s intervention MP refuses to release the water then, UP will also be forced to stop water to MP from other places. He said that UP has already given Rs 467, of which Rs 67 crores is excess for the project as a state’s share even as the cost of the project has escalated to Rs 2500 crores without the consent of UP. He also demanded a probe into the cost escalation of the project. The construction of Ban Sagar Dam was started in 1980 and was inaugurated by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.