LUCKNOW: E ven as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh gets ready to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly on February 26, the political scenario took a curious turn on Saturday with Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs resigning from the House along with 11 other MLAs.

Party president Mayawati termed the Samajwadi Party-led coalition Government "unconstitutional" in the wake of the Supreme Court judgment disqualifying 13 of the 37 rebel BSP MLAs. The party also objected to the role of Vidhan Sabha Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey and opposed the efforts of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance and its allies at the Centre to keep afloat an "unconstitutional" Government in Uttar Pradesh.

On Saturday the BSP MLAs handed over their resignations to Ms. Mayawati. The 11 MLAs joined the BSP. Though Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress MLAs are likely to follow suit, leaders of both the parties kept their plans to themselves, dubbing the proposed House session unconstitutional.

While the Congress will gherao the Assembly on February 26, RLD MLAs will boycott the session.

Of the 11 MLAs who quit along with the BSP legislators, two are Independents, five belong to the BJP and four to the Samajwadi Party.

Ms. Mayawati said the MLAs' resignation coincided with the completion of the 14th Vidhan Sabha's term. She said the BSP would boycott the House session on Monday as the Speaker had lowered the dignity of the Chair. She criticised Governor T.V. Rajeswar for not dismissing the Government.

Congress Legislature Party leader Pramod Tiwari said the decision whether the party MLAs would resign and whether it would boycott the session would be taken at a Legislature Party meeting on Monday. Mr. Tiwari recalled that SP MLAs resigned from the 13th Vidhan Sabha on 9/11/2001 before the expiry of the House term on October 17, 2001. They should follow the precedent now, he demanded.

Illegal, says V.P. Singh

The former Prime Minister and Jan Morcha convener, V.P. Singh, termed the Mulayam Government illegal and unconstitutional.

Addressing the Lok Jan Shakti Party rally at the Ambedkar Maidan here, Mr. Singh said the Government was formed by engineering defections in the Opposition parties.

He accused Mr. Mulayam Singh of "deceiving" the minorities, especially, the Muslims.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail