Supporting Congress during trust vote a historical blunder: Amar Singh

The Samajwadi Party on Friday termed its decision to support the government at the Centre, during last year's trust vote over the India-United States civil nuclear agreement, as a 'historical blunder'.

"It was a historical blunder on our part to support the government last year during the confidence vote," SP general secretary Amar Singh said.

On whether the Congress has betrayed his party, he said, "I don't want to use such strong words against the Congress, but we are disenchanted with it".

Singh said he had received a lot of flak within his party for supporting the United Progressive Allaince. He claimed that the Congress has treated the SP shabbily after the Lok Sabha elections.

"At the time when we chose to lend support to it, the Congress was passing through a rough phase as it had lost assembly elections in various states, including Punjab and Uttarakhand. Despite this, it has forgotten us after general elections," he lamented.

Singh, whose party has 23 members in the Lok Sabha, said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh did not even thank his party for its support even though SP had sought no favours from it in return.

Refuting reports that the SP had decided to support the UPA to keep cases against its top leaders under wraps, Singh said it was not true and 'there was no deal behind the deal'.

At the party's recent special conference in Agra, its chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had refused to comment on whether the SP would part ways with UPA, though he had said it will launch agitations against both Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party.

On being asked about the confusion over SP's relations with the Congress, Amar Singh said, "Congress is a practical-minded party. In future, say by 2012 (when Uttar Pradesh goes to assembly polls) it may find us relevant. Today it thinks SP is weak, but it could find us viable tomorrow."

Choosing to remain diplomatic about Congress leaders, the SP leader praised party general secretary Rahul Gandhi for his role in strengthening the organisation in UP. "Rahul is doing a good job in strengthening his party in Uttar Pradesh," he said.