M A I N   N E W S

UP rebels to float new outfit

Farrukhabad, November 5
Rebel Independent MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya has claimed that 35 dissident BJP legislators in Uttar Pradesh have decided to float a new political outfit called the ‘Rashtrawadi Bharatiya Janata Party’.

He gave this information to newsmen here last night before he, along with another dissident Independent MLA Dhananjay Singh, were sent to the Fatehgarh central jail in the district. The two were arrested on Sunday last for allegedly threatening a BJP legislator Puran Singh Bundela.

Mr Raghuraj Pratap Singh said the 35 BJP legislators, apart from a few party ministers in the ruling coalition, would together float the new outfit and dissociate themselves from the BJP.

Mr Dhananjay Singh, who also spoke to the press, said the government had established an emergency-like situation in the state. He challenged the Chief Minister to convene an Assembly session for a trial of strength if she had any morality left with her. “It is undemocratic to run a government from which so many legislators had withdrawn confidence,” he added.

LUCKNOW: The BJP dissidents said on Tuesday that they had “lost all hopes of reconciliation” and were meeting tomorrow to decide their future course of action.

“The final strategy will be chalked out tomorrow as we have lost all hopes of reconciliation,” the spokesman of Save BJP Committee Ramashish Rai said after a meeting of the dissidents’ four-member core group, presided over by convener Ganga Bakht Singh.

Meanwhile, accusing the Governor of showing “utter disregard” to constitutional norms, the Samajwadi Party on Tuesday threatened to take the issue to “people’s court” and as a first step and observe November 11 as a protest day against his decisions in the current political crisis.

“We had expected that the Governor (Vishnu Kant Shastri) being a learned person would discharge his constitutional duties in a proper manner,” Samawadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav told reporters here, adding an “emergency-like” situation prevailed in the state.

He said the Governor had said after the withdrawal of support by some Independent MLAs that the government enjoyed the support of 210 MLAs in the House.

“The Governor, by not acceeding to our demand, has provided an opportunity to the government to ensure its survival by indulging in horse trading and also intimidation,” Mr Yadav said.

Terming the recent arrest of the two Independent MLAs as “intimidatory tactics”, he said, “the Mayawati government may also resort to the same tactics against other dissident legislators and the SP” UNI, PTI

Tirade against UP Governor flayed
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 5
The BJP today strongly condemned the attempts of the Samajwadi Party (SP) to draw the Uttar Pradesh Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri “into an uncalled for controversy”.

“The Governor is actually not responsible for the failure of Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav (President of the Samajwadi Party) to get the Congress support to get requisite numerical figure. The attempts of Samajwadi Party to drag a constitutional authority is condemnable,” BJP Chief Spokesperson Arun Jaitley told newspersons here.

Mr Yadav, had accused the Governor of being a “party” to the political developments in Uttar Pradesh and alleged that Mr Shastri was spreading misinformation that the Mayawati government enjoyed a majority.

Meanwhile, the BJP today refrained from making a formal announcement of its candidates today for the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for November 18 due to fluid political situation in Uttar Pradesh in the wake of dissident activities in the party there.

“The final list of candidates will be announced by party President Venkaiah Naidu tomorrow,” Party chief spokesperson Arun Jaitley told newspersons.

According to sources, the central leadership has decided to field former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Rajnath Singh, spokesperson and General Secretary Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Sunil Shastri.