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Maya to take call on support to UPA today

Lucknow, October 9
Attacking the UPA government for its "anti-people" decisions, BSP supremo Mayawati today said her party would take a final call tomorrow on whether to continue its outside support to the Centre.

In her first major public event after BSP's debacle in the UP polls seven months ago, Mayawati, just like her arch rival and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, did not expect the Manmohan Singh government to last its term till 2014 and asked her cadres to be ready for early polls.

"We will hold a meeting of the BSP's national executive tomorrow to re-consider whether to continue support to the UPA government or not," she said at a ‘sankalp maharally’ of BSP workers here to mark the sixth death anniversary of party founder Kanshi Ram. "Going by the present circumstances, it appears that Lok Sabha polls would be held early," she said.

After the withdrawal of support by Trinamool Congress, the government is banking on the outside support of the BSP, which has 21 MPs in the Lok Sabha, and the Samajwadi Party that has 22 MPs. She attacked the government's foreign and economic policies, saying its "anti-people" decisions have added to the woes of the people, including the deprived, Dalits, minorities and farmers, who are facing the brunt of rising prices, growing unemployment and corruption.

On the issue of FDI in multi-brand retail, Mayawati said, “If the financial situation of farmers and small traders improves because of FDI, we could welcome it in future, but currently we do not support it," the BSP chief said. “Since the UPA government has not done anything in the interest of the country and the people, it can go all out to woo the electorate by luring them through tall promises which will not really benefit the people. We have to remain vigilant on this count as well," she said. She used the occasion to train her guns on the SP government, accusing it of turning UP into a "crime state" and alleging that ‘goonda’ elements jailed by her government were being freed.

Criticising the PM’s statement that money does not grow on trees, she said, “Instead of putting the burden on the poor and the middle class, it would be better to put some of it on the capitalists and the rich who the government had benefitted from time to time,” she said. — PTI

CBI can probe DA case against Maya

The CBI is at liberty to probe the disproportionate assets case against BSP supremo Mayawati, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday while issuing notices to the Centre, CBI and the former UP chief minister on a plea to clarify its verdict quashing the DA case against her. — TNS