Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav today claimed he had saved UPA government in its bad days and despite this Congress has put CBI after him.
"Congress used to take support by threatening. I supported the UPA government in bad times but Congress has put CBI after me", he told reporters here.
'Not to withdraw from UPA'
Mulayam, who has been breathing fire against the government, today said he has no plans now to withdraw support to UPA, a day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh acknowledged such a possibility.
"Relations have not soured. I do not know on what basis the Prime Minister made these remarks. Right now withdrawing support has not been discussed in the party. Now there is no question of SP withdrawing support to the UPA government.
"Why withdraw support and make the government fall when it's a matter of just eight-nine months," Yadav told a TV channel.
His remarks assume significance against the backdrop of the Prime Minister's acknowledgment yesterday about the possibility of SP's withdrawal of support to UPA.
Reacting to the Prime Minister's statement, the BJP claimed that mid-term poll was inevitable as the government has lost the numbers while JD-U chief Sharad Yadav did not expect Mulayam to withdraw support.
No Prime Ministerial ambitions
Asked if he wanted to become Prime Minister, he said, "I have never thought of becoming Prime Minister nor am I thinking about it now."
The SP chief, however, appeared to drop hints of his Prime Ministerial ambitions drawing comparisons between the performance of his party government in Uttar Pradesh and other states including Narendra Modi government in Gujarat.
Listing out development programmes being implemented in the SP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, he asked, "Are such programmes being implemented in Gujarat. So much work is happening in such a populous state like Uttar Pradesh. But everybody's eyes are closed".
Will think about Third Front
"A Third Front will emerge. Fronts emerge as per the situation in the country. After 2014, the Prime Minister will be from the Third Front," he said.
Asked whether he would head the front, he said, "That will be seen later.
Yadav, whose party is extending outside support to the government, maintained that Congress "cheats" those who support it alluding to the 2G case in which DMK minister A Raja was made an accused and sent to jail.
"Karunanidhi has supported the government. His party also participated in the government. But they trapped a minister of his party and sent him to jail. They (Congress) cheat those who support them," the SP chief said.
In the midst of talk over Samajwadi Party's strategy, Finance Minister P Chidambaram appeared to woo the SP saying the Centre will stand by Uttar Pradesh in its development.
"I want to take this opportunity to assure the Chief Minister and his team, as well as the president of their party, 'netaji' that the Indian government is committed to stand by Uttar Pradesh in its development," he said in Lucknow.
No ties with BJP
Yadav, however, ruled out the possibility of aligning with the BJP after the next Lok Sabha polls, a statement that comes after his praise of L K Advani that triggered speculation.
The Prime Minister's remarks yesterday on Samajwadi Party stoked a fresh debate on the stability of the government.
BJP MP Balbir Punj asserted, "Government will not complete is full term and mid-term poll is inevitable."
"Irrespective of what the Prime Minister says, the fact is that there is an atmosphere of instability about the government in the country. This is why you have various people speaking about mid-term elections.
"This government has lost the mandate from the people to rule and now its numbers in the House that is Lok Sabha is also suspect. The country is passing through a phase of complete instability," he said.
Hits back at Beni
In a fresh attack on union minister Beni Prasad Verma, Yadav said those talking about making Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister could not save the deposit of his son in assembly polls.
"Congress will decide about Rahul Gandhi...By the way, those (Beni Prasad) talking about making him the Prime Minister could not save the deposit of his son in assembly elections", he said.
Beni's son Rakesh Verma had forfeited his deposit in assembly elections from Daryabad seat in his home district Barabanki. Mulayam was asked about his views on Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidte of Congress party in next Lok Sabha polls.
On Beni's allegation about a deal for giving support, Yadav said those talking about SP's "deal" with Congress were themselves a "traitor". "I am not afraid of anyone and that is why I speak the truth. I have never betrayed anyone. On the other hand, I was betrayed many times...I do what I say..there is no difference between what I say and what I do", he said.
Yadav also alleged the media was not in his and his party's favour due to which law and order in UP was being made an issue."Law and order is good in the state but the media is creating unnecessary hue and cry over it. (UP Chief Minister) Akhilesh is doing better than his counterparts in other states.", he claimed.