New Delhi: Signalling its willingness to support a Sonia Gandhi-led coalition at the Centre, Samajwadi Party (SP) today (May 14, 2004) authorised its president Mulayam Singh Yadav to take a decision on joining the Government.

Party general secretary Amar Singh told reporters after meetings of newly-elected SP MPs and Parliamentary Board that Yadav would take a decision in consultation with Left parties.

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Yadav, whose refusal to support Gandhi in 1999 on account of her "foreign origin" had aborted her plans of forming a Government, is in touch with Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPM) leaders, particularly its general secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet, and any decision taken in consultation with the Left parties will be "acceptable" to SP.

Declaring that SP was committed to secularism and wanted a "secular alternative" to National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government at the Centre, he said the party was "ready for any sacrifice" for this.

Asked whether Congress leading a "secular" formation at the Centre would be acceptable to the party, the SP leader said, "We cannot ignore Congress here as that party cannot ignore SP in Uttar Pradesh."

He said SP would go along with a Left front decision even if the Congress president was made the Prime Minister.

"Foreign origin issue is a non-issue after the court decision," Singh said.