No dearth of options if forced to leave SP: Amar

With some of his colleagues seeking his exit, Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh on Tuesday stated that he had 'a lot of hopes' from party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav but made it clear that he had 'no dearth of alternatives' if forced to leave the party.

Singh continued to be critical of Ram Gopal Yadav, senior SP leader and Mulayam Singh's cousin, saying he changes statements from morning to evening.

In an apparent reference to Ram Gopal's remark that he (Singh) has lost his "mental balance", Amar Singh wrote in his blog: "He (Ram Gopal) says something in the morning and by evening changes his stance. Since Ram Gopal belongs to Mulayam Singh Yadav's family I don't want to react to his comments."

Singh said, "If Ram Gopal is so angry with me, then Mulayam Singh Yadav and his family should do a rethink about inviting me to the ongoing Saifai festival".

Amar Singh, who quit all party posts last week, will be attending the festival in Saifai, a small town near Etawah in Uttar Pradesh, next week.

"I do not expect to be crucified like Jesus, poisoned like Socrates or shot like Mahatma Gandhi by the party or the first family (of Mulayam Singh). Instead, I have a lot of hope from my leader and elder brother Mulayam Singhji," he wrote.

To his critics, Amar Singh said, "I would like to tell them that I am quite comfortable in SP and I have all the love and respect of my party chief".

However, "God forbid, if in future circumstances force me to look for political alternatives, I have to dearth of alternatives."

On a possible split in SP, Amar Singh said, "neither (party chief) Mulayam Singh Yadav has criticised me, nor I have said anything against him, then where is the possibility of a split in the party?

"I resigned from key party posts due to health reasons but I continue to be a member of the party."

"My brother Arvind is unhappy with SP. Due to differences with me, he first joined Congress and is now in BJP. If Mulayam Singh has no control over his own brother's utterances (Ram Gopal is Mulayam's cousin), then how can I have control over my sulking brother. However I am proud of the fact that I have never promoted my family's ambitions in SP," he wrote.

Attacking another party leader Mohan Singh, Singh claimed, "Mohan Singh said that he had taken money for his treatment in London from the party and that I am only a custodian of party's funds. However, Mulayam Singh's secretary Jagjivan has always been the custodian of party funds. Till date, Mulayam Singh has never made me a custodian of the party fund."

The SP leader further claimed that "Mohan Singh took money from the party and also separately from me (on Mulayam's behest) for contesting elections and for his treatment".

Singh also "thanked" NCP chief Sharad Pawar for issuing a clarification that "I never discussed any political alliance with him". He had defended Pawar, who is the Union Agriculture Minister, over price rise in his earlier blog.

Expressing regret over the fact that a small group of Muslim SP MLAs have sought his expulsion, Amar Singh wondered why these leaders were criticising him by crediting him with bringing former BJP leader Kalyan Singh to SP.

"Kalyan Singh is as big a leader as Mulayam Singh Yadav. However, his recent clarification that I was not responsible for bringing him close to SP makes my position clear."

"Last year, Kalyan Singh had been invited as chief guest in SP's national council meeting in Agra and these very Muslim leaders who are criticising me, were at that time raising slogans of 'Kalyan Singh Zindabad' from the dais," he wrote.