The turf war between the Congress and the BSP in Uttar Pradesh spilled over to parliament on Tuesday as the BSP upped the ante against the UPA government
NEW DELHI: The turf war between the Congress and the BSP in Uttar Pradesh spilled over to parliament on Tuesday as the BSP upped the ante against the UPA government, demanding a Rs80,000-crore financial package for the state.
Irate BSP MPs forced both houses of parliament to adjourn in a bid to press their demands.
Symptomatic of the changed equations between the two parties, BSP MPs including the newly elected ones Akbar Ahmad Dumpy and Kaushal Tewari, struck a belligerent note as soon as the House assembled.
In a direct riposte to Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to garner political space in UP especially Bundelkhand, the BSP MPs shouted: “Stop politics in the name of Bundelkhand and Poorvanchal,” demanding assistance for development of the two backward regions.
Similar scenes were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha as well, as BSP members led by SC Mishra demanded a discussion on the “burning issue” of drought in the region. Chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the Rajya Sabha for 15 minutes as BSP members indulged in slogan shouting, disrupting the proceedings.
The BSP’s aggressive posture in parliament appears to be a continuation of the hardline stance adopted by party chief Mayawati against Gandhi’s attempts to woo the Dalits in the Hindi belt particularly UP. Mayawati has not taken kindly to Rahul’s forays and has launched an offensive against the AICC general secretary. Some days ago she even threatened to review her decision to support the government unless he ceased his attempts to win over the Dalits.
The Congress meanwhile has made it clear that there will be no let up in Rahul Gandhi’s campaign. It also announced the next phase of his Discover India tour, during which the Amethi MP will travel to adivasi and tribal-dominated areas of Jharkhand and Chattisgarh. “Our campaign will continue. Like everybody else the Congress party retains the right to work towards strengthening itself,” said party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi.
j_ansari@dnaindia.net
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