SP withdraws support to UPA govt

LUCKNOW: The Samajwadi Party on Tuesday withdrew its support to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre.
 
The decision to withdraw "outside" support in the wake of the Congress' efforts to impose President's rule in Uttar Pradesh was announced by Chief Minister and party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav at a meeting of senior party leaders and workers here.

 

The SP has 38 members in Lok Sabha and the withdrawal of support may not have an impact on the stability of the UPA government, which has the backing of more than 300 members in a House of 545.

 

The Congress and SP have been having a love-hate relationship for more than two years, when the SP unilaterally offered support to the UPA government with the Congress party maintaining that it had not asked for.

 

Likewise, the Congress party was also extending outside support to the Yadav-led coalition government from August 2003 though attacking it on various fronts.

 

Yadav also made an appeal to the Left parties to withdraw their support to UPA government, saying that the time has come for that.

 

The SP had given support to the UPA to keep the communal forces at bay, Yadav said, adding that since the Congress-led government had joined hands with the same forces in the conspiracy to dismiss his government there was no point in continuing to support the UPA.

 

The Congress was strengthening communal forces, he alleged.

 

Looking towards senior party leaders, including party General Secretary Amar Singh seated at the dais, Yadav said that he could not consult them before taking the decision.

 

"I know you (party leaders) all will agree with my decision that there is no use to continue to support the UPA government," he said.

 

All leaders on the dais nodded in agreement and declared that the support to the UPA government has been withdrawn.

 

Later, party General Secretary Mohan Singh made a formal announcement, and said, "We now have no relations with the UPA. We shall sit in the opposition and attack the government on issues concerning common people."

 

The SP also has 16 members in the Rajya Sabha.

 

The chief minister said that it was a "mistake" on his part not to have consulted his colleagues on this matter earlier.

 

"I also appeal to the Left parties to withdraw their support to the UPA government," he said, adding, "The time has come now for them to take this decision."

 

The hint that the party could take such a decision was given by party vice president Janeshwar Mishra during his speech earlier he gave a clarion call to the workers to launch a decisive battle against the UPA government.

 

"Support and fight cannot continue together," Mishra said, exhorting the workers not to allow any work by the center in the state if the state government is dismissed.

 

Yadav said the country was divided vertically on the issue of dismissal of the SP government and made an appeal to the workers to take to the streets the very next day after a possible dismissal and register their protests in a peaceful manner.

 

"The Congress is devoid of leadership. It is a dead party now... it has no strength… if you (workers) are ready to wage a long battle, the Congress will be wiped out from the Centre as well," he said.

 

In his about 30-minute address Yadav alleged that Governor TV Rajeswar's report to the Centre was prepared by lawyers of the Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party and Bharatiya Janata Party.

 

He charged the governor with trying to create a law and order problem in the state by passing derogatory remarks over Sanskrit at a function in Varanasi recently.

 

Claiming that his party had received support from a number of political outfits on the issue of dismissal of his government, Yadav said the Congress was on the defensive now.

 

He urged the Election Commission not to fall prey to the trap of Congress and hold assembly polls in the state at the earliest.

 

"If the EC wants to install the government of some particular party in the state it should tell us. We shall boycott the polls in that event," he said.

 

 

The Congress on Wednesday said the withdrawal of support by the Samajwadi Party to the UPA coalition Government at the Centre would make no difference to it as it commanded a majority.

 

''Withdrawal of support by the Samajwadi Party was the expected development,'' Congress Spokesperson Jayanti Natrajan said replying to a question at the routine press briefing.

 

''We enjoy majority while the Mulayam Singh Government does not enjoy majority,'' she said. - UNI

 

 

KOLKATA: The CPI-M on Wednesday said that the withdrawal of support to the UPA government at the Centre by the Samajwadi Party would not affect its stability.

"They (UPA) have majority," party General Secretary Prakash Karat said.

 

He declined to answer further questions saying, "We have not discussed the matter as yet."

 

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had also appealed to the Left parties to withdraw support to the UPA goverment. - PTI