Amar Singh offers legal aid to Delhi blasts suspects

POLITICS OF TERROR: Amar Singh's visit to Jamia was planned to create a political furore.

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New Delhi: It was a visit which was planned to create a political furore, and Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh, the master of political double speak has succeeded yet again.

A single trip to Jamia was enough for him to demand a judicial probe into what he thought was a suspicious encounter. Taking his agitation further, he now has joined the likes of Mushir-ul-Hasan and Human Resource Development Minister, Arjun Singh in offering legal aid to all those arrested.

"I am in touch with top criminal lawyer Ram Jethmalani to figure out what can be done to help them (blasts suspects) out," Amar Singh said.

The SP, with 36 MPs in the Lok Sabha, had supported the UPA Government in the crucial trust vote in Parliament, but since then the two parties have not been in the best of terms.

Amar Singh's statement was meant to hit out at two targets simultaneously - embarrass the Congress party and Home Minister Shivraj Patil as well as provoke the BJP - and it hit the mark.

BJP Spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "We demand that Amar Singh apologise to the nation for insulting the martyrdom of a brave police officer like MC Sharma."

The family members of MC Sharma have already expressed their strong resentment at the manner in which Sharma's killing was being converted into a political controversy by Amar Singh.

Meanwhile, there are no prizes for guessing that SP's stand on the Jamia encounter also goes well with the the party's own carefully cultivated pro-Muslim image - especially when Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati is working overtime to wean away minority votes.