Mulayam joins the issue

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav yesterday said the Congress should try and focus their attention on improving the law and order in Delhi before speaking about his state.

Speaking to mediapersons on his arrival here on Wednesday, Yadav denied that there was any law and order problem in Uttar Pradesh and said the Congress should rather turn their attention to Delhi, where such problems occurred.

In a veiled criticism of the Yadav government, which the Congress supports from outside, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had yesterday remarked that the law and order in Uttar Pradesh "appeared to be bad".

On the issue of Maharashtra Assembly polls, Yadav said his party would contest the elections and their alliance would be "issue-based".

He, however, refused to divulge the alliance partners at this juncture nor the number of seats his party would be contesting.

The final decision on the alliance would be taken by the party's state unit, the Samajwadi Party chief said.