SP hints at backing UPA nominee for President post

New Delhi: The Samajwadi Party on Tuesday indicated its support to UPA candidate for President's post provided he is not a bureaucrat. "One condition, he should not be a bureaucrat," SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav told reporters here when asked whether SP would support a Congress candidate.

Yadav replied in the negative to another query whether his party will join the UPA government. At the 3rd anniversary of UPA II function, outside supporters Yadav and RJD leader Lalu Prasad were seated on the podium along with senior ministers and leaders of parties which have representatives in the cabinet.

Congress managers, however, sought to explain it saying since the leaders were early to arrive at the function, it would have been inappropriate to make them sit among the audience.

Mulayam Singh Yadav replied in the negative to another query whether his party will join the UPA government.

"Nothing more should be read into that," they said. At the dinner, Yadav, Lalu shared the table with Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Trinamool Congress' Saugata Roy, DMK leader TR Baalu and Congress veteran Karan Singh.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Home Minister P Chidambaram, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh, Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan and Minister of State KC Venugopal shared the table with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

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