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Gujral yields to pressure, won't campaign with Akalis

Bowing to pressure exerted by some United Front constituents, Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral today gave an assurance to the UF core committee that he will not share any political platform with the Akali Dal during electioneering in Jalandhar.

Gujral was chosen the Janata Dal candidate from the Jalandhar constituency, brushing aside opposition to his candidature from the Samajwadi Party and some Left parties on the ground that he was being supported by the Akali Dal, an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Briefing the media, UF spokesperson S Jaipal Reddy ruled out the possibility of the combine having truck with the Congress in the post-poll scenario. ''I don't think we need them.... They will not have anything to offer,'' he quipped.

The meeting also decided that Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet would mediate on seat adjustment talks between the Samajwadi Party and the Janata Dal in Uttar Pradesh. Differences have cropped up between these two UF constituents over seat-sharing in the state.

The core committee will meet again at Hyderabad on January 19 when the UF's joint appeal will be finalised. The UF would also launch an election campaign in Hyderabad by addressing public meetings together. Similar rallies are being planned at Madras, Bangalore and Patna shortly.

DMK leader and Industries Minister Murasoli Maran, who briefed the core committee about the impact of Sonia Gandhi's campaign meeting at Sriperumpudur, said the meeting was attended by 'hardly a few thousand crowd'.

UNI

EARLIER REPORTS:
UF unhappy as CPI-M woos Congress
UF move sparks speculation on ties with Congress
To defeat the BJP, Communists will go soft on Congress

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