Mulayam will back UPA to keep out communal forces... for now

Mulayam Singh Yadav came to the Congress’ rescue on Friday — a day when the Trinamool Congress pulled out of the UPA — by pledging his support.

“Our support is clear. We will not let communal forces come to power,” the Samajwadi Party chief told reporters. “I am not in the UPA.But we are supporting it so that communal forces do not go ahead.”

His support was crucial considering that the UPA’s numbers came down to 254 from 273 after the Trinamool pulled out. With the outside support of the SP (22) and the BSP (21), the coalition will continue to have the backing of over 300 MPs in the 545-member Lok Sabha. For a simple majority, the government needs the support of at least 273 MPs.

But party sources say the SP is waiting for BSP chief Mayawati to make her stand clear on the diesel price hike and allowing FDI in retail. Mayawati has called a meeting of her party executive on October 10 to decide on these matters.

The SP chief, however, made it clear his party would not join the UPA and that it would oppose FDI and the diesel price hike. Asked about mid-term polls, he said it depended on the government and not on him.