Seedhi Baat with Amar Singh/Aajtak, July 13, 2008

Amar Singh has said that the UPA government will comfortably sail through the trial of strength in the Lok Sabha on July 22. "I won't reveal to you my strategy for saving the government, but I'm confident that we will get support of more than 290 MPs on the floor of the house", the Samajwadi Party General Secretary, told me in an interview for Aaj Tak. (Watch Video)

Singh, who was instrumental in making the leaderships of the Congress and the Samajwadi party bury and hatchet and form an alliance that could prove to be the lifeline for the UPA govermnment expressed the hope that the new tie-up would continue beyind the next Lok sabha elections. When asked whether his party would have an alliance with Congress in UP for next general election, Singh said, "We want to have pre-poll alliance with Congress in UP and won't field candidates against Congress at Raebarelly and Amethi. ." The constituencies are currently being represented in the Lok sabha by Sonia and rahul gandhi. But asked to choose between Manmohan singh, Sonia and Rahul gandhi for prime minister, he indicated the SP was quite content with the leadership of manmohan Singh. "We will cont elections under leadership of Manmohan singh who remains our candidate for prime ministershiop". he brushed aside sufggestions that he will take mup a cabinet portfolio after the government wins the trust vote.

Asked about reports that he was trying to work out a compromise between the fueding Ambani brothers and whether he had sought the prime minister's intervention in the matter, Singh, who is known to be close to the younger brother Anil, said he "was too small a fry" to intervene in such a matter. But he said it was in the national interest that the brothers forget the bitterness of the recent past and work together. "The cumulative wealth of Mukesh and anil combined is about five percent of the country's GDP and as such any fight between two such persons can only harm the country. I feel it is in the nation's interest if bitter fued is brought to an early end", he said.