SP better ally than Left parties: Cong

Apparently seeking to keep Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party in good humour, Congress said it was a "better partner" than the Left parties.

Apparently seeking to keep Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party in good humour, Congress on Sunday said it was a "better partner" than the Left parties, which supported the UPA government for over four years before backing out on the issue of Indo-US nuclear deal.

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"Certainly, till now Samajwadi Party has been a better partner than the Left," Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said at an interactive session at the India Economic Summit organised by CII and the World Economic Forum.

He was asked whether SP was a better ally than the Left parties.

"I cannot give an advance certificate for the future but till now SP has been a better partner," Singhvi said at the interaction where SP General Secretary Amar Singh and CPI National Secretary D Raja were also present.

Singh said that despite the past bitterness, the SP decided to back the Congress-led UPA government to "curb" the growth of Mayawati and because the party placed "national interest above politics."

The SP leader appeared to be pleased with the compliments from the Congress and contended that his party did not believe in "power without responsibility".

"That is the reason we continue to oppose the government on the spectrum policy," said Singh.

The Samajwadi Party, with its 35 Lok Sabha members, bailed out the UPA government in the July 22 trust vote necessitated after the Left Parties, withdrew support to the Congress-led ruling alliance.