Date:30/06/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/30/stories/2008063052130500.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Sindhia to campaign for Barack Obama

K.V. Subramanya

Former Minister not to join any party for the next six months

P.G.R. Sindhia

BANGALORE: The former minister P.G.R. Sindhia, who has been removed from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), has decided not to join any political party for the next six months. Instead, he is to leave soon leave for the United States to campaign for Democratic Party candidate Barack Obama in the U.S. Presidential polls.

Mr. Sindhia told The Hindu on Sunday that as he was a fan of the Democratic Party, he had informed the party in advance that he would campaign for Mr. Obama. “I will be addressing meetings of the Indian community in the U.S. for two weeks during July and August to seek votes for Mr. Obama. My itinerary will be finalised in a couple of days,” he said and emphasised that his visit to America was planned almost seven months ago.

Mr. Sindhia said that in case of early elections to the Lok Sabha, he would cut short his U.S. trip and return to India to plan his future political course.

Asked whether he planned to join any other political party in view of his removal from the BSP, Mr. Sindhia said that he had kept all his options open though he had decided not to associate himself with any party for the next six months.

Later, he would tour the entire State, ascertain the views of his supporters and decide on his next political move.

“Nearly 150 of the 220-odd BSP candidates who contested the recent Assembly elections are my supporters. I have to safeguard their future too,” he said.

Mr. Sindhia, who is groping in the dark to ascertain the reasons for his summary expulsion from BSP, said he would “not take things lying down” and would remain active in politics.

He said he would finalise his political plans in consultations with two other expelled BSP leaders, Sudhir Sawanth of Maharashtra and Omkar Singh of Uttar Pradesh.