The Hindu : National : We will win trust vote, say UPA constituents

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Wednesday, Jul 09, 2008
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National

We will win trust vote, say UPA constituents

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: With the Samajwadi Party pledging its support, the smaller constituents of the UPA were on Tuesday confident that the government would survive a trust vote.

Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad has said that the UPA would prove its majority in Parliament. “The Left has its own ideological compulsions, but its withdrawal of support will not affect the government.”

Equally confident of the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal being realised, Mr. Prasad said it was unfortunate that the Left parties decided to withdraw support at a time when the Prime Minister was overseas. “They should have waited for the Prime Minister to return.” At the same time, he was thankful to the Left parties for supporting the government so far and keeping communal forces in check.

Speaking to The Hindu from the U.S., Lok Jan Shakti Party leader Ram Vilas Paswan said it was premature for the Left parties to have withdrawn support. However, he was confident that the government would last its entire term.

Though it has broken its alliance with the Congress in Jammu & Kashmir, the People’s Democratic Party on Tuesday announced that it would remain with the UPA. Announcing this in Srinagar, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said her party would support the government in the event of a trust vote. “We will not do anything that will bring communal forces to the fore.”

Pattali Makkal Katchi founder president S. Ramadoss told The Hindu from Nagercoil that though the withdrawal of Left support was expected it was regrettable that the decision had been taken now. He was confident that the government would survive the floor test.

L. Ganesan, Lok Sabha member from Tiruchi, who heads a splinter group of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, said he did not think that the Left’s move would affect the stability of the government. The two-member MDMK parliamentary group he heads will abide by the decision of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, he said.

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