"We will support Chatterjee for the post of President of India. The way they (CPI-M and other Left parties) have supported us in Uttar Pradesh, we will definitely support him," Party general secretary Amar Singh told reporters.
Addressing a joint press conference with suspended Congress leader K Natwar Singh, he said the whole strategy behind Congress' move to impose President's Rule in the state was to keep away SP-left votes by neutralising their votes in the Presidential polls.
"The whole process is an effort to neutralise SP-Left vote banks. It is a deep conspiracy to keep away SP-left parties from Presidential polls", Singh said.
Asked how he presumed that elections will not take place after dismissal of Mulayam Singh government, Amar Singh said he came to know from reliable sources that Congress will not hold elections at least for six months.
"So the largest state, the state of Sonia Gandhi, will not be able to participate in the Presidential polls", he claimed and charged that Raj Bhawan in Lucknow has become PCC office as the state Governor was "meeting any tom, dick and harry on Uttar Pradesh situation".
Asked about reports about candidature of actor Amitabh Bachchan for the post of President, Amar Singh said he or Samajwadi Party never announced that Amitabh would be the candidate for the post.
However, he clarified that in a lighter vein TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu had, in reply to a question, told a reporter that if N T Rama Rao, his father-in-law (an actor), could become the Chief Minister, why can't Amitabh become President of India.
He said BSP was interested only in grabbing power in Uttar Pradesh and not in who would be at the Raisina Hills while BJP is more interested in ideology.
Singh said the fact is that while Samajwadi Party is talking about elections in the state, others (Congress) are more interested in postponing it. Asked then why his party was not withdrawing its support from the UPA government, Singh said, "Our support was for secular forces."
He accused Congress of adopting double standard when it came to deal with Nithari and Ratlam killings where skulls and bones have been discovered. Singh announced SP leaders would soon be visiting the site in Madhya Pradesh.
