Left doesn’t want President’s rule in UP

NEW DELHI: The UPA government’s plans to clamp President’s rule in Uttar Pradesh appears to have hit a Left wall. With more and more grisly, macabre stories coming out of Nithari village and a host of politicians, including former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, demanding central intervention in UP, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday tried to take the CPI(M) on board for invoking Article 356 over lunch.

But the CPI (M) honchos — Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury —did not agree with the idea. Coming to the rescue of Mulayam Singh Yadav, their close ally and a leading light of Third Front, the comrades averred that “Central rule would be counterproductive” as the dismissal of his government would generate sympathy for Yadav, sources said.

Left leaders feel that if he is dismissed, beleaguered Yadav would make it an election issue to garner support. Both Karat and Yechury were tightlipped about Nithari.

President’s rule would be difficult to impose as Parliament would have to ratify imposition of Article 356. The UPA does not have the requisite number sans the Left parties.