While supporting Congress in cut motion, both Mayawati and Mulayam Singh Yadav hoped to get relief in DA cases against them
For the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Tuesday was a defining day as the day’s events outlined the relations the two parties are likely to have with the Congress in future.
The Left-sponsored Bharat bandh and the BJP-driven cut motion in Lok Sabha were the two events which virtually compelled SP and BSP to lay their cards on the table.
Despite all her rantings against the Congress, Mayawati bailed out the UPA by not voting with the BJP. Similarly, Mulayam Singh Yadav, RJD chief Laloo Prasad and their MPs walked out of Lok Sabha just before the cut motion, making the battle a cakewalk for the Congress.
Political watchers did not miss the signals. “SP and BSP are competing to be on the right side of the Congress,” said a senior journalist. This trend could benefit the Congress in a big way, in the UP assembly election.
BSP chief Mayawati told the media on Tuesday that she supported UPA “only to ensure that communal forces (read BJP) do not return to power”. However, as senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley put it, the immediate reason for the UP chief minister to
support the Congress could be the CBI relief she got in the disproportionate assets (DA) case recently. This too, just days after the CBI told the apex court that it had enough evidence against Mayawati.
The CBI’s DA case against Mulayam is also at an advanced stage. That could be one reason why Mulayam, who sat on dharna outside parliament for the better part of the day against the UPA government over price rise, disappeared before the cut motion.
At a time when Rahul Gandhi has just flagged off yatras throughout UP for the 2012 UP election, the change of heart of its two major rivals in the Hindi heartland is a positive sign for the Congress.
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