Amar Singh dares Mayawati, Sonia

After a brief silence following the Bahujan Samaj Party's victory in Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh is back to his pugnacious self. On Monday, he dared UP Chief Minister Mayawati to arrest him and Mulayam Singh Yadav.

"I dare her to put us in jail. In fact, I would be happy if she puts us in jail because it would be politically advantageous to us," he said, recalling how late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had benefited after the emergency when she was jailed.

Hitting out at Mayawati for ignoring Mulayam's presence during her swearing-in ceremony, Singh said "if she wants to pursue vendetta politics, she is welcome to do so." But, he added, "if Sonia Gandhi's UPA government could not do anything to me, who is Mayawati?" He challenged the Congress president to get him arrested too.

The SP leader, who is in hospital for treatment, dismissed reports that he was leaving the country. "I am not a criminal…..Victory and defeat are part of democracy. We will fight back," he claimed, attributing Mayawati's victory to "social engineering".

He alleged that all leaders, including Sonia, BJP's AB Vajpayee and LK Advani, Jan Morcha's VP Singh and even SP dissidents were collectively targeting his party.