Amar plays video, repeats old tune

Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh tore into Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati’s litany of allegations in Mumbai on Sunday.

A day earlier Mayawati had accused the SP general secretary of trying to frame her using the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the disproportionate assets case, by influencing appointments into sensitive posts. “I haven’t negotiated for any posts. In fact, according to the law, the leader of opposition L.K. Advani and PM Manmohan Singh have the power to select the CBI director,” he said addressing a press conference here.

Reiterating is stand on the government’s trust vote, Singh chose to deride the chief of the saffron combine. “We are not into power play. But we prefer Manmohan Singh to communalists like Advani and imperialists like George Bush who are bigger threats,” he said.

Singh also screened a 15-minute video of a UP police officer K.K. Diwedi, who he claims was allegedly dispatched by Mayawati to meet him for a statement in the land deal case. In the film, Diwedi confesses to be acting on Mayawati’s behest.

When asked if he agrees with the clause in the Indo-US nuclear agreement where on one hand India will have to support the USA if it goes to war with Iran and on the other will also depend on the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, Singh said there is no such military compulsion. “The Prime Minister has assured us that there will be no compromise on India’s security and that they could back out at any time,” he added.