Jaitley, Shourie to address UP ministers

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) cadres are each other's hated rivals in Uttar Pradesh.

But ignoring the feelings of the cadres, the Samajwadi Party has invited two Union ministers ""Law and Commerce Minister Arun Jaitely and Communications and Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie"" to Lucknow to address ministers and bureaucrats on why it is important to pursue disinvestment and what will serve India's best interests in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Amar Singh, Samajwadi Party general secretary, confirmed that he had met the two ministers and had extended a formal invitation to them to speak on these two topics.

"Mulayam Singh Yadav is Uttar Pradesh's original reformer. Of all the state governments, it was the UP government that decided to press for the privatisation of a cement factory owned by the government.

"We believe it is not the business of government to be in business. We would like to hear Shourie on how this should be done," he said.

When asked how the most important rivals of the Samajwadi Party would address ministers and legislators on issues that were deeply political, Singh said: "We may agree or disagree on political philosophy. But we will like to share experiences on a matter that concerns the nation. There is nothing personal about differing ideologies. And we believe that the positive elements in political thought must be shared."

Amar Singh said he had already written to Shourie and had received a nod in principle though dates were to be finalised.

The Samajwadi Party's move is heavy with meaning in the current political scenario where though theoretically it is the Congress and the Samajwadi Party that share a common ideological position on minorities, it is the BJP that the Samajwadi Party is offering a platform to.

This is the clearest indication that on-the-ground unity between the Samajwadi Party and the Congress is still a long way away. If the Samajwadi Party really wanted to indicate that the Congress was a serious political ally, it would have made more sense to invite the original reformer, Manmohan Singh, to address the government.

The Samajwadi Party's current position is that if a non-BJP, non-Congress alternative is to be set up, it must not be allowed to take shape without them. This, Samajwadi Party says, is the extent of its commitment to the formation of a third front.

Amar Singh said Samajwadi Party's participation in the four Assembly elections was a means to register the party's presence, to ensure political indispensability in any future political set-up. "We are not right now, aiming for the job of the King - though we are not averse to the idea. Right now, we are content with being kingmaker," he said.