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SP chief, Amar Singh to meet at Saifai festival

January 11, 2010 20:43 IST

An early patch up between Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and party general secretary Amar Singh now looks imminent with both Mulayam and his cousin Ram Gopal Yadav declaring that their differences have been sorted out.

"Amar Singh will be chairing the closing session of the Saifai festival," Mulayam told reporters on Monday, shortly after inaugurating the 14-day cultural event at Saifai in Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh.

Terming the between between Amar Singh and himself as a "Samajwadi family affair," he said, "I have had a talk with Amar Singh, who assured me that he will come down from Dubai to be with us at the closing ceremony of the festival, so where is the question of any misgivings." He further hastened to add, "even if there were any misgivings, it is for us to sort those out."

Mulayam was however critical of National Congress Party chief and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, to whom Amar Singh was understood to be sending feelers for switching loyalties. Flaying Pawar for the current rise in food prices, Yadav said, "Pawar should have resigned for his failure to curb the rising prices; but his refusal to do so reflects his lust and greed for power and money."

Mulayam's cousin and Samajwadi party national general secretary, Ram Gopal Yadav , who was also a Rajya Sabha MP , too seemed to have softened his stand on Amar Singh. "When there are four utensils in a house, they are bound to make some noise," Yadav remarked, while adding, "Amar Singh is like an elder brother to me so both us have a right to argue with each other; please do not read too much into all that, and in any case, whatever our differences of opinion, these would be sorted out within the family."

While confirming that he was going to attend the Saifai festival, Amar Singh, was however, stated to have told a TV channel in Dubai , "I am going to Saifai to attend the festival since it is a cultural event ; but let me clarify that I will dissociate myself from any political activity of the party."

Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow