Upset Amar Singh refutes charges, says "I do not decide headlines"

Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh on Thursday rubbished Samajwadi Party MLC Ashu Malik's allegation that a leading English daily had dubbed Samajwadi Party boss Mulayam Singh Yadav as "Shahjahan" and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav as "Aurangzeb" in its headline because of him and said that it would have been better had he been confronted with this poser.

Singh said that he had never personally met Malik, who joined the Samajwadi Party when he was not in the party.

"It's not that I have an enmity with him or I hate him. Ashu Malik joined the party when I was not there. Akhilesh Yadav or Amar Singh does not decide the headlines, be it the headlines of TV channels or newspapers," Singh told ANI in an exclusive conversation.

"So, assuming that I got this published on the first page, it would have been better had he directly spoken to me considering our past relations," he added.

Breaking his silence on the ongoing feud in the Samajwadi Party, Singh categorically stated that he had no role to play in the same and turned emotional while stating that there was no picture of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's wedding where this "dalal" is not seen.

"I have no interest in Rajya Sabha seat. I am with Akhilesh, but I would prefer Mulayam Singh over him and I will always stand by Akhilesh because he is the son of Mulayam Singh," he said.

Singh, who returned to the Samajwadi Party after six years in exile, has been accused by Akhilesh of instigating the current crisis that has deeply divided the Yadav family.

The chief minister's supporters allege that the Rajya Sabha MP is helping his uncle Shivpal Yadav plot his removal as the chief minister.

The Akhilesh camp also sees Singh's hand in Shivpal being made the Samajwadi Party's Uttar Pradesh chief in place of Akhilesh last month. This move gives Shivpal direct control of choosing candidates for the assembly elections next year.

However, the Samajwadi Party supremo had earlier this week described Singh as "my brother" and said that his past sins were forgiven.

He also reprimanded his son and backed the Chief Minister's bete noire Shivpal.