NEW DELHI: The Congress leadership failed on Tuesday in its efforts to persuade the Communist Party of India (Marxist) to support the option of bringing Uttar Pradesh under President's rule, even as the United Progressive Alliance appeared to be giving in to the Congress preference that the Mulayam Singh Government be sent packing.

CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat was invited to a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh but the Marxist leader reiterated his party's stand and opposition to the imposition of President's rule.

Party's view conveyed

Mr. Karat told The Hindu that he had explained to the Prime Minister the party's view as formulated by the Polit Bureau last Sunday.

He impressed upon the Prime Minister the need to take into consideration the party's view.

Mr. Karat also met External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee. Apart from the constitutional aspects, the CPI (M) argument is that "such a decision [to impose President's rule] will have political implications."

The party thinking is that only the Bharatiya Janata Party stood to gain from an ouster of the Mulayam Singh Government.

The CPI (M) leadership has left the Congress leadership in no doubt that the party's advice can be spurned only at the risk of a "political breach" with the Left.

NCP stand

On the other hand, the Congress crisis managers were busy on Tuesday trying to ensure a united front within the United Progressive Allinace.

Union Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar is reported to have conveyed his view that his party would go along with the Congress line.

After the categorical reiteration by the Left of its opposition to President's rule, the all-powerful "core group" Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, Ahmed Patel, Pranab Mukherjee, Shivraj Patil and A.K. Antony — met to assess the balance sheets.

Need for caution

The Congress leadership is not confident of its ability to carry out the threat of invoking Article 356.

Even during the discussion on Monday night in the Congress Working Committee, the need for caution was stressed by some members. A senior Cabinet Minister pointed out that one of the imponderables was the uncertainty about what view the President would take of a possible recommendation from the Union Cabinet.

Cabinet meeting

The Union Cabinet is tentatively scheduled to meet on February 22, and even if it goes ahead with the decision to ignore the Left, there is no ironclad assurance that the President would accept the recommendation, if at all, before February 26 (when Mr. Mulayam Singh proposes to seek a fresh vote of confidence in the U.P. Assembly.)

It is learnt that when the Prime Minister met President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Monday (before the CWC meeting), he failed to get an indication of Mr. Kalam's thinking.

All that he heard was that a view could be taken only as and when there was a Union Cabinet recommendation before him.

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