UNPA to take collective decision over SP

Upset over Samajwadi Party's decision to go with the Congress, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) today said all UNPA constituents will take a collective decision whether to retain the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led party in it or not. "The SP should have consulted the UNPA constituents before taking a decision to support the nuclear deal. We will take a collective decision whether to retain or not the SP in the UNPA," AGP president Brindaban Goswami told PTI here reacting to the SP's decision to support the the Indo-US nuclear deal.

He said the AGP was in touch with all UNPA constituents discussing the emerging political situation.

Goswami made it clear that the regional party would not support the nuclear deal and the Congress.

"There is no question of AGP supporting the Congress or the nuclear deal," he said, adding "We will not maintain any relation with any political party which makes friendship with the Congress".

Asked about possibility of AGP forging an alliance with the BJP, Goswami said his party in principle had taken a decision to bring all non-Congress political parties in Assam under one umbrella.

Yesterday, a six-member delegation of AGP met senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj and discussed forging an alliance in Assam to "defeat" the Congress.

The delegation, comprising four party MPs and two MLAs, including leader of opposition in the state Chandra Mohan Patowary, had a hour-long discussion with Swaraj and deliberated on the issue.

The delegation included Arun Sharma, Sarbananda Sonowal (both Lok Sabha MPs), Birendra Prasad Baishya, Kumar Dipak Das (both Rajya Sabha MPs) and Padma Hazarika (MLA).