Kalyan floats new party, ends speculation on returning to BJP

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Lucknow, Jan 5: Ending speculation about his return to BJP, its former leader Kalyan Singh on Tuesday floated a new political outfit - Jan Kranti Party - on the occasion of his 77th birthday."Respecting the sentiments of my supporters, who suggested that instead of joining any other party we should have our own organisation, I today announce to float the new party," Singh told reporters here.

 

He made the announcement nearly two months after parting ways with SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav.

"Nai party ka apna jhanda hoga, agenda hoga aur anushashan ka danda hoga (The new party will have its own flag, own agenda and strict discipline)," he said.

This is the second time Kalyan has floated a political party within a span of a decade.
Singh said since the workers advised him that the party’s command should be handed over to new generation, his son and former state minister Rajveer Singh will be its national president.

"Our aim is to have a strong presence by 2012 assembly elections," he said.
Singh said he along with Rajveer will go to Ayodhya tomorrow morning and pray to "Ramlala".

Once projected as the hero of Ram Temple movement and counted among top rung leaders of the BJP, Singh had parted ways with the party in 1999 alleging that he was being sidelined by the high command.

In 1999 itself, Singh floated a new political outfit Rashtriya Kranti Party (RKP) and contested 2002 state assembly elections, in which its three candidates were elected.

Later RKP had an alliance with the SP and Kalyan’s son Rajveer held the portfolio of Health Minister in Mulayam Singh Yadav’s regime.

However, by 2004 Kalyan had a change of heart and he went back to BJP, announcing RKP’s merger with it.

Last year in January, accusing the BJP high command of sidelining him, Singh once again revolted and joined hands with the SP supremo.

While Singh termed it as reunion with an old friend Mulayam, his son Rajveer formally joined the SP and was appointed as the national general secretary.

Singh later campaigned extensively for the SP during Lok Sabha elections last year and contested from Etah with the party’s support.

In November, he again parted ways from the SP, after Mulayam Singh announced that Kalyan was never in the party, nor he will be taken back in the party in future.

Reacting to Mulayam’s announcement, Singh had termed him a "traitor".