New Delhi: Admitting his party's "troubled relationship" with Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP) general secretary Amar Singh today (Jul 29, 2004) said that his "public humiliation" at Sonia Gandhi's party in the run up to UPA (United Progressive Alliance) Government formation "will cost them dearly".

He also said the trouble was "emanating from the top" in the Congress party.

"What was done to me, the public humiliation (at Sonia's party) and then the bravado expressed by Congress, it will cost them dearly because all the constituents of the Congress party and ours are of the same pattern," Singh told Karan Thapar in BBC's Hard Talk India programme.

He admitted that he felt "unwanted" at the party at 10, Janpath. "I am very ashamed I went there. I should not have gone there," said Singh, who along with RLD (Rashtriya Lok Dal) chief Ajit Singh was taken to the party by CPM (Communist Party Marxist) general secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet.

Singh said that the Congress president did not look at him even once and just gave a "cold nod." "She did not talk to me at all... Surjeet was sitting with me so as to pacify me and my hurt feelings," he said.

Asked whether Congress was taking SP for granted or simply does not care about it, he replied "both".

"I would be lying if I say there is no trouble. Definitely there is a troubled relationship... I think it is emanating from the top, from the Congress party, not from the Government... I would say in the Congress party, everything is decided from the top so I would not like to name the person... But the problems come from the top, definitely," he said.

To a question, he said Congress leaders present at Gandhi's party gave him "looks that can kill" and CPI (Communist Party of India) leader A B Bardhan was the only leader who supported inclusion of Samajwadi Party in the list of allies of the 'secular alliance'.

Asked how was he received on his arrival at Gandhi's residence, he said "First of all ... we were made to sit outside in a small chair. And Ahmed Patel received us. He went in and after five minutes came out and said, 'please come in'. Each one sitting in the room, particularly from the Congress side, except Ghulam Nabi Azad, they gave me very, very cold looks. If looks can kill, I was almost killed.

"And then Jairam Ramesh, my dear friend, started reading names of allies and he did not read out our party's name, or he did not read out my name. At this, I said, "What for I am brought here? It seems as if I am unwanted and this is not on. I am also here to lend support."

To be fair, he stated that at this point A B Bardhan intervened and said that Samajwadi Party's name should be included.

Singh claimed that Congress had "appointed" K Natwar Singh and Ahmed Patel to "keep him in good humor" before the Lok Sabha elections, according to the BBC release.

"However, after the results were announced, they (Congress) thought, it (SP) was irrelevant" despite holding 40 seats in Lok Sabha, Singh added.