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The DMK’s decision to withdraw support to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the resignation of its Ministers from the Cabinet has emboldened the Government’s ‘outside’ supporters.
The Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) have suddenly got an opportunity to reclaim their political space, as the Government will now have to depend on their support for the passage of crucial legislations and decisions in Parliament, including the Budget.
While the SP and RJD took a firm view on Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma’s statement against SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, the BSP warned the Centre against taking any “anti-Dalit” decision.
Also the SP leader’s meeting with Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar set off speculation about a possible realignment of forces.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), too, demanded an apology from Verma for his comments against Yadav. RJD chief Lalu Prasad said Verma went overboard while criticising Mulayam.
Ruling out the possibility of joining the UPA Government, BSP supremo Mayawati said her party would continue to support the Centre. “We did not join it earlier and even now, we will not be part of it,” she said.
Maintaining that her support was to keep “communal forces” away, she said BSP did not support the “anti-Dalit” policies of the UPA. Her party has been demanding immediate passage of the Reservations in Promotions Bill, which is held up in the Lok Sabha.
“We are not giving outside support to UPA for any greed. Some Opposition parties belonging to NDA keep saying that Congress is using the CBI and BSP is supporting it because of it. This is totally wrong,” she added.
In a respite to the Government, the BJP and Janata Dal (United) ruled out moving a no-confidence motion. “The Government will fall on its own,” BJP leader M.A. Naqvi said.
The Government, however, reiterated that it faced no crisis.
“The Government is neither lame, nor duck. It is not lame duck. We are absolutely, absolutely stable. If there is any test, it is on the floor of the House. But no political party has come out to challenge our majority,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said.
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