காங்கிரஸ் கூட்டணி அரசுக்கு சமாஜ்வாடி கட்சியின் ஆதரவு ...

காங்கிரஸ் கூட்டணி அரசுக்கு ஆதரவை நீடிப்பது பற்றி இன்று (வியாழக்கிழமை) முடிவு செய்ய இருப்பதாக சமாஜ்வாடி கட்சியின் தலைவர் முலாயம் சிங் யாதவ் கூறினார்

 Mulayam Singh Yadav calls parliamentary board meeting to plan next move

Hints at continuing support if PM agrees to roll back FDI in retail and fuel price hike decisions

Virendra Nath Bhatt
Lucknow

You're damned if you do and damned if you don't. This is the dilemma of the Samajwadi Party over continuing its support to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. After Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee withdrew support, all eyes are now trained on SP chief Mulayam Singh’s next move.

According to sources, the SP is reluctant to announce its stand on whether to continue or withdraw its support to the UPA, before Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati opens her cards. The BSP has announced that it will declare its stand on either 9th or 10th October only.

The SP chief has called a meeting of the parliamentary board of the party in Delhi on Thursday to discuss the issue. According to SP sources said the decision on continuing support or withdrawal will be dictated by its political interests in UP and keeping the 2014 Parliamentary elections in mind.

A dominant section of the party is in favour of severing ties with the UPA. The SP’s national spokesman Ramgopal Yadav said: “at this juncture it would be suicidal for any party to align with the UPA and SP will continue its support to the UPA only if it agrees to a rollback of FDI in retail and hike in petroleum products. A decision will be taken in the meeting of the parliamentary board on Thursday’’.

The SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav too is anguished over the preset political situation but wary of precipitating the situation. “What has the Congress has done all these years for the people of the country? It has only looted the nation, I wish the good sense would prevail on Manmohan Singh and he will roll back the anti people decisions like FDI in retail and hike in prices of diesel and LPG’’, said the SP chief.

The high moral ground adopted by the SP at Kolkata during its two-day national executive meet on 12 and 13 September, has also added to the woes of the party. The SP in its political resolution adopted at the national meet had urged all the regional and small political parties to stop playing second fiddle to the national parties particularly the Congress and join the Third Front.

“It will be suicidal for SP to bail out UPA at this juncture as the people will never forgive the party,” said Kisan Manch leader Sunilam. The Manch is holding a National Farmers Convention in Lucknow on Thursday. Former army chief gen (retd) VK Singh is expected to attend the convention.

Virendra Nath Bhatt is a Special Correspondent with Tehelka.
virendranathbhatt@gmail.com