œND‰‹‰†‰KœND‰‹‰†‰œND‰‹‰†‰MœND‰‹‰†‰C INDIA SUNDAY TIMES OF INDIA New Delhi, September 7, 2003 7 Mulayam inducts six into BJP considers ‘Who’s a criminal? giving Mamata I was simply a another chance ministry as 37 desert BSP TIMES NEWS NETWORK By Arvind Singh Bisht 181 after the addition of 37 New Delhi: A high-level TIMES NEWS NETWORK BSP MLAs — is likely to meeting at the PM’s res- political opponent’ touch 187, as the breakaway idence on Saturday Lucknow: Six MLAs were BSP group has claimed the evening discussed the sworn in as members of the support of six more MLAs. oom No. Two in Shayma Prasad Mukherjee Hos- Mulayam Singh Yadav min- possibility of a few pital smells like a florist’s shop. Jubilant men Apart from this, Mulayam changes in the Vajpayee istry here late on Saturday already enjoys the support of R guard it’s entry as UP’s bigwigs flit in and out. night. The six are Shivpal ministry as well as the Basking in the adulation is Raghuraj Pratap Singh, the the Congress (16), RLD (14), impact of the political Singh Yadav and Azam Khan RKP (4), two MLAs each of enfant terrible of the Kunda royal family. UP’s first of the SP, Kokab Hamid and changes in Uttar POTA prisoner is still ‘‘trying hard to get used to crowds the CPM and the Loktantrik Pradesh. Sources said Anuradha Choudhary of the Congress and six of the splin- after a solitary confinement of six months’’. RLD and Rajvir Singh and the ministerial changes Confined as he is to hospital bed due to a spinal disor- tered groups, besides 13 Inde- were likely in the first Kusum Rai of the RKP. pendents. Thus, Mulayam is der, Raja Bhaiya, as he’s popularly known, looks much This was preceded by a half of next week. set to have the support of at Trinamul Congress chastened. He hardly seems like someone rumoured to split in the BSP with 37 of its least 238 as against the requi- chief Mamata Banerjee feed enemies to pet crocodiles in the family pond. The MLAs announcing their deci- site number of 201 in the remains a certainty — pond, incidentally,has been acquired by the government sion to merge with Mu- Cong won’t house of 402. One seat is va- for the nth time — for along with his other movable assets. But with Mulayam layam’s SP,taking the latter’s cant due to the death of a the Cabinet, with coal on his side, freedom is just a whisker away. tally to 181 from 144. The Are you still angry with Mayawati? join UP govt BSP MLA. being mentioned as a rebel BSP MLAs formed a The much-awaited split in More than angry, I am pained at the way she bent all New Delhi: The Con- possible portfolio, and new outfit, the Loktantrik the BSP materialised after a rules to harass me and my gress on Saturday night the current incumbent, Neelabh BSP, and urged assembly day-long suspense. BSP family. The picture of my said it will not join the Karia Munda, being Speaker Kesri Nath Tripathi rebels started gathering at father in jail made me Mulayam Singh Yadav brought to the party to recognise the breakaway the SP’s Vikramaditya Marg miserable. I was threat- government in Uttar where there are vacan- group before requesting him office from the morning. ened that my mother Pradesh ‘‘for the time- cies for both a vice-pres- to allow them to merge with They marched from there to would also be put be- being’’. ident as well a general- the SP. the chamber of Tripathi in hind bars. The decision of the secretary. Newly sworn in minister the Council House only Will you take any party was conveyed to Then, with the assem- Rajvir Singh is son of RKP around 5.30 pm. Senior SP action against Mulayam and Samajwa- bly elections in Delhi chief and former UP chief leaders, including Amar Mayawati? di Party general-secre- due in a few months, the minister Kalyan Singh and Singh, Shivpal Singh Yadav Why? Her deeds tary Amar Singh by BJP’s parliamentary Shivpal Singh Yadav is Mu- and Akhilesh Singh, MP and are enough to land Congress general-secre- party spokesperson Vi- layam’s brother. With 37 BSP son of Mulayam, were pres- her in a mess. The tary Nawal Kishore jay Kumar Malhotra is MLAs pledging support to ent on the occasion. last nail could well Sharma and Ahmad Pa- doing the rounds for the Mulayam, he is expected to Earlier, they kept delaying be the Taj contro- tel, political secretary to urban development sail through the vote of con- their meeting with the versy. I’ll wait for Congress president So- portfolio. fidence he will seek on the Speaker, and this led to utter the law to take its nia Gandhi, party gen- floor of the assembly on Sep- confusion. The delay was course against her. eral-secretary Ambika tember 8. The split is the said to be due to the initial re- How was your Soni said. PTI jail experience? highest ever in any party in luctance on the part of some Tough. The little the history of the state. BSP rebels, which was mak- party in the assembly. The room with a tin roof In the process, the BSP has ing the strength of the break- post of leader of opposition, felt like a furnace in suffered a major setback — away group less than one being held by a BSP MLA at May and June. I its strength has come down third of the party’s total to 72 from 109. It is likely to present, will eventually go to strength, the figure needed come down further. The par- the BJP, which has a tally of for a formal split. But they ty is set to lose its position of 88. swung into action as soon as being the main opposition The strength of the SP — their number reached 37. would pour water on the floor and lie in it. I learnt to do some chores. At times, I was sad and lonely, but I never let negative thoughts to overpower me. I knew I had a long wait. Sky is the limit AFP What about the AK-47s and skeletons recovered from SUNDAY your estate? Where there’s a will, there’s GRILL a way to discover guns, skele- tons. We knew the she was try- ing to frame our family and we were prepared. When the police unearthed the AK-47s, do you know what my father told the officer in-charge? ‘‘I am happy you are framing charges with regard to AK- 47s. You would have caused me much humiliation if you had planted country-made weapons’’. But jokes apart, we were made helpless victims. It’s now amusing to hear Vinay Katiyar declare that he’ll disclose the name of the person who planted the weapons in our house. The BJP Thakur lobby helped in getting you out, so did Mulayam. Do you plan to join any party? The Thakur lobby tried to help me, but not everyone can fight a formidable enemy as I did. There were Thakur MLAs who would take turns to accompany me to-and-fro the courtroom, fearing an assassination bid. But I am indebted to Mulayam Singh who took up cudg- els for me. He has surpassed everyone. However, I don’t propose to join the SP; I’ll remain independent. Should criminals be debarred from politics? Yes sure, but first let the law define a criminal. Over the last few years, criminals have come to mean political opponents. The day I decided to withdraw support to the government, I became a criminal. They lodged 19 FIRs against me in one month. When Akilesh Pratap Singh, decided to support Mayawati, they withdrew NSA against him, but the day he tried acting difficult, the Indian Air Force pilots display their skills during a show same CM declared a reward of Rs 10,000 on his head. in Chennai on Saturday. The IAF along with Tamil Nadu government jointly organised the show to promote the Manjari Mishra IAF career opportunities. One norm, one drink, all over the world Sanjeev Gupta, CEO of Coca Cola, India speaks to Times News Network about the pes- ticide controversy. Did the controversy have any basis? Not at all. Our stand was vin- dicated by the Bombay High Court, Kerala government, Outlook, etc. In fact, Outlook picked up bottles of our soft drink from the market and sent it to the Central Science Laboratory in London for Sanjeev Gupta tests. The London laboratory gave us a clean chit. This was 10-15 years to the company just one in a series of labora- and the country to set things tory reports which proved in order. It also helps govern- that the soft drink is com- ments to put their act pletely safe. together. I feel the discussion should have been around what is Does Indian Coke have the safe, rather than on what is same quality standard as the detection level. the American or European Secondly, comparing a soft one? drink with water norms is Do we clean the groundwater? not correct. There are no Yes. Coca Cola India follows norms for finished food the same testing procedures products in India. The norms on its product all over the have to be based on the basis world. of ingredients and daily But one must remember, intake.