Mulayam Singh Yadav, Samajwadi Party supremo and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, still appears to have a lot of fight left in him. In an exclusive interview to Amita Verma, Mr Yadav shares that he is not sure of his alliances yet, and that he does not favour smaller states.

Q. When Mayawati is firmly ensconced in power in Uttar Pradesh, what role do you see for the Samajwadi Party (SP), especially after its relatively weak showing in recent elections?
A. This government is steeped in corruption. I have not said this before but we are preparing a list of corrupt ministers and officers who are working as agents of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). These people have recently acquired wealth that is certainly not in proportion to their known sources of income. We have proof to back our allegations and we will release this list before the public at appropriate time.
We are playing our role as the main Opposition party in the state. It is also the responsibility of the United Progressive Alliance government to inquire into the misuse of Central funds by the Mayawati government.

Q. But this government says it works on the concept of Sarvjan Hitaye (welfare of all).
A. That is probably why they have discontinued all the welfare schemes that my government had started. Do you know that the debt burden on farmers actually reduced during my regime because we gave unemployment allowance to young boys and girls, and had the Kanya Vidya Dhan (educational allowance for girls) scheme? Nearly six lakhs youth got jobs in my government while others were given allowances to make ends meet. This government has discontinued these schemes. It only has interests in stone.

Q. You recently said that you will demolish the parks and memorials being built by the BSP government.
A. Yes, and I mean it. We will remove the statues and build hospitals and colleges in the name of B.R. Ambedkar. Education and health facilities are what the Dalits need today more than statues and memorials. I have already decided that we will construct a college and a hospital on the land where the Lucknow jail was demolished to build another park. The stones used in these memorials will be used to build hospitals and schools.
These memorials are actually a road to corruption. When my party comes back to power, I will set up a commission to probe the kind of money that has been spent on these structures.

Q. If you have to align with another party to beat the BSP, which one will it be?
A. This depends on the prevailing situation at that time. In politics, equations and situations change every minute. We are open to alliances because people want us to uproot this government, and we will do this democratically. Our New Year will be when the poor get basic amenities and the right to welfare.

Q. Your relationship with the Congress has never been smooth — what are the main irritants?
A. The character of the Congress is the problem. History has shows this again and again. This party turns its back on those who help it in crisis. We went out of our way to save the Congress on the Indo-US nuclear deal and they turned their back on us. The Left supported their government, suffered severe losses because of this, but the Congress did not hesitate to snap ties with it. Sharad Pawar is a Congress ally and his graph is going down too. Those who fight against the Congress thrive in politics. We will do the same now.
However, I want to make one thing clear — we have no problems with Sonia Gandhi. It is people like Digvijay Singh who make things messy. He is the main adviser these days, but look how he gave away Madhya Pradesh to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Q. The Congress is trying to revive itself in Uttar Pradesh. In such a situation, what future do you see for your party in the state?
A. From January 19, we are launching an agitation against the Centre and the state government on the issue of price rise. I will also be taking to the streets with my party workers. I admit that as the main Opposition party, we should have begun this earlier but it is still not too late. We are a large party organisation and we will now show our might as the main Opposition party. We will reclaim our space very soon.

Q. Muslims have deserted the SP in recent months. Will you take any steps to bring them back?
A. A small percentage of the Muslims did leave us in the elections but the community, as a whole, is still with us. Muslims know that while other parties may promise them the moon, it is the SP that gives them genuine respect, and cares for them.
Whenever there is communal trouble, it is the Muslims who are the worst hit. We made sure that Muslims get due representations in the forces that maintain law and order. When recruiting for the police, my government appointed 14 per cent Muslims, purely on the basis of merit.
The mood of the Muslims is evident from the fact that the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, which is the apex Muslim body in the country, recently accused the Congress of being equally responsible for the demolition of the Babri mosque, but did not raise a finger against the SP.

Q. How much damage did the SP suffer on account of association with Kalyan Singh?
A. I will not speak a word against Kalyan Singh. I do not want to comment on what happened.

Q. With the demand being made for a three-way division of Uttar Pradesh, the issue is bound to emerge in the next Assembly election as a major question. The SP is opposed to trifurcation. How do you propose to deal with the matter?
A. We are viewing the situation in the larger perspective, and not merely as a populist measure. Any further division of Uttar Pradesh will not serve any purpose. Look at the state of affairs in the smaller states. What we need is a more balanced development of Uttar Pradesh and special attention to the backward regions. Cutting it into pieces is a divisive policy. We will explain our point of view to the people.