New Delhi, November 17
The Congress today came perilously close to snapping ties with its alliance partner the Samajwadi Party (SP), after the UP Government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court defending the CBI charge sheet in the Ayodhya case, dropping the criminal conspiracy charge against senior BJP leaders, including Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani.
However, the Congress did a last-minute turnaround when it got news from Lucknow that the Mulayam Singh Yadav government had sacked legal counsel and disowned the affidavit which would have let Mr Advani and others off the hook.
However, the Congress made it amply clear that it was not willing to compromise on the issue and that it would now wait for the UP Government to file a fresh affidavit, reinstating the charge of criminal conspiracy against the top BJP leaders.
“We are reserving comment after hearing of the UP government’s latest move. But we will review the situation after a new chargesheet is filed and held valid by the Supreme Court,” Congress spokesperson. S. Jaipal Reddy told mediapersons. While the Congress central leadership chose to bide its time, its UP leaders were “given permission” to go public with their criticism, indicating the Congress position on the issue.
Unofficially, however, Congress leaders admitted that its party’s with the Samajwadi Party had been tenuous from the start itself and it was only a matter of time before they parted company. They said they were well aware of Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav’s “secret” understanding with the BJP, which had facilitated the formation of his government. They said if the UP government had not changed its position, the Congress was close to reviewing its alliance with the SP.
The Congress, it was stated, had deliberately chosen to remain ignorant about these developments and decided to support the Mulayam Singh Yadav government, lest it should be accused of not backing a secular formation. This
time, too, the Congress deliberately has chosen to “hold its horses” as it does not want to give the impression that it is anxious to snap ties with the Samajwadi Party. However, its leaders made it clear that the Congress would be forced to review ties with the Samajwadi Party in case it did not take any credible steps on the Ayodhya case.
According to Congress leaders, Mr Yadav’s changed stance on the Ayodhya issue stemmed from the realisation that he could lose the crucial support of 17 per cent Muslim population if he was seen cosying up to the BJP. Mr. Yadav can hardly afford this as it will not be possible for him to win in UP only with the support of Yadavs, they added.
