New Delhi, July 13
With Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party joining hands with the UPA regime in the unfolding political drama over the Indo-US nuclear deal, the Left parties today reached out to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati and claimed that the BSP would vote against the government on the trust vote in the Lok Sabha on July 22.
Left leaders, who had all these years dubbed Mayawati as communal for having aligned with the BJP in the past, went all out to woo her to their side, with the avowed objective of bringing down the Manmohan Singh government on the floor of the Lok Sabha.
In a surprise move, CPM boss Prakash Karat drove to Mayawati’s residence this morning to hold a meeting with her on the current political developments. Karat’s CPI counterpart A.B. Bardhan spoke to the BSP supremo on phone and appealed to the BSP to vote against the government in the Lok Sabha. The BSP has 17 members in the Lok Sabha and could play a critical role in deciding the fate of the UPA government.
After his 45-minute meeting with Mayawati, Karat said the Left parties and the BSP would cooperate to ensure defeat of the Congress-led government.
“Mayawati reiterated her opposition to the deal. It was decided that there should be cooperation to stop the deal and the fight against the UPA government in this regard,’’ a CPM press note said after the meeting.
The Left leader’s meeting with the BSP chief came a day after the CPM condemned filing of a fresh affidavit by the CBI against her in a disproportionate assets case.
Bardhan, CPI general secretary, who addressed a press conference here today, also came down heavily on the premier investigative agency for its action against Mayawati. The CBI has become
a ‘political tool’ in the hands of the ruling coalition.
“I spoke to Mayawati and discussed the political situation with her.” Asked if she would vote against the government, Bardhan replied in the affirmative. He said other parties like the Telugu Desam and the Janata Dal (S) were also in touch with the Communists.
Bardhan accused the UPA government of indulging in ‘tremendous horse-trading’ to win the trust vote. “The going rate is astronomically high,” he said.
The CPI general secretary, however, made it clear that his party would not have any floor coordination with the BJP. “We are not joining hands with them (BJP). Our vote follows from our outlook. What the BJP does as the main Opposition is their business.”
