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Tuesday,
August 26, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Dissolve House, Maya tells Governor Lucknow, August 25 The drama unfurled in the morning when Ms Mayawati called a meeting of her Cabinet and sprang a surprise by offering to resign. Ms Mayawati, who is also national vice-president of the BSP, has been having troubled relations with her junior partner ever since the Taj Heritage Corridor controversy came to the fore. Taken aback by this sudden move, the red-faced BJP leaders held a meeting at the residence of BJP Legislature Party leader Lalji Tandon and decided to withdraw support from the government.
Mr Tandon, who is urban development minister in the Mayawati-led government and rakhi brother of Mayawati, met Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri and handed over a letter of withdrawal of support from the Mayawati-led government. After a few minutes, Ms Mayawati reached Raj Bhavan and handed him over a letter claiming to contain the Cabinet’s recommendation for the dissolution of the 14th State Assembly and holding of the poll at the earliest. Later, talking to reporters Ms Mayawati said there was no question of resigning. “I am still the Chief Minister of the state. I have asked for dissolution of the House,” she said. Giving reasons for her decision, the Chief Minister said the political situation in the state was very fluid. “Opposition parties were ready for horse-trading and many legislators were being lured for money and ministerial posts to join their camps. Fed up with this situation, the Cabinet recommended an early election,” she said. Mr Vishnu Kant Shastri told reporters that he would weigh the pros and con and then take a decision in this regard. Later, addressing party workers at a meeting held at the Ambedkar park, Ms Mayawati said the BJP did not trust them. Some BJP leaders even tried to kill her, she alleged. And some tried to falsely implicate her in the Taj Heritage Corridor case, she added. She said she had written a letter to the Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee explaining why she was forced to severe her party’s relations with the
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President’s rule likely in UP New Delhi, August 25 UP Chief Minister Mayawati had made her move in the hope that she would remain in control of the
administration of the state by recommending the dissolution of the Assembly to Governor Vishnukant Shastri as she would continue to remain in the caretaker position. But apparently, she had not taken into account that her
junior partner, the BJP, also had prior information to her move as party’s leader Urban Development Minister Lalji Tandon went to the Governor and handed over a letter of withdrawal of support to the Mayawati government and thus thwarted her
plan. Moreover, Ms Mayawati’s claim of the dissolution of Assembly is not legally tenable as not only that the BJP had written a letter of withdrawal of support but had also in the Cabinet meeting recommended the dissolution of the Assembly as point 14 of the
agenda. But the last point has also asked the Governor to reschedule the session of the Assembly from August 28 to September 3. While Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today convened a meeting of the Council of Ministers to discuss the situation in the biggest state, a meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party
Parliamentary Board has been called tomorrow to take stock of the political situation in the state. The government will take a decision on the political development in Uttar Pradesh on the basis of the Governor report which is expected “any moment”, BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman V. K. Malhotra said after the meeting at the Prime Minister’s residence. Mr Malhotra said there were several options, including imposing President’s rule in the state, and keeping the state Assembly in suspended animation, giving some other party a chance to form the government or dissolving the state Assembly. He said the BJP Parliamentary Board, which is meeting here tomorrow, would decide on the party’s stand in the wake of the latest political developments. Asked whether the BJP was prepared to face fresh elections, he said, “The BJP is always ready for elections.” Earlier, state party president Vinay Katiyar called on the Governor and informed him about the BJP decision to withdraw support to the Mayawati government, thereby reducing her government to a minority. Political sources said the meeting at the Prime Minister’s residence assumed significance since the BJP would like to go to the polls in the state along with five other states in November this year. One thinking is that the Centre may also like to impose President’s rule in the state for the next six months so that elections can be held there early next year. |
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In a fast-paced political development the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today recommended dissolution of the state Assembly and holding of an early election in the state besides severing ties with BJP, while its alliance partner demanded the immediate sacking of the Chief Minister.