UP Cabinet asks Mulayam to take 'political decision'

Lucknow, Jan 10: After over two hours of hectic discussions, theUttar Pradesh cabinet tonight authorised chief minister Mulayam SinghYadav to take any political decision.

The Chief Minister huddled into a meeting with his cabinetcolleagues a few hours after Ajit Singh withdrew his Rastriya Lok Dal(RLD) from the ruling dispensation.

The meeting, earlier scheduled for 1100 hrs tomorrow, was calledtonight, raising speculations about the move the CM was likely to takefollowing the withdrawl of RLD quota ministers from the stategovernment.

Soon after the meeting, which ended at 2330 hrs, a cabinetminister told UNI that the CM has been authorised to take any politicaldecision he deemded fit. ''We all gave our views...the discussion wasfree and frank,'' he added.

The CM, himself, has so far remained in his fifth floor office of Shastri Bhawan.

Several top bureaucrats were seen entering and leaving the cabinet room during the marathon meet.

In a sudden development leading to a political crisis ahead of thecrucial assembly poll, three ministers belonging to the RLD thisafternoon resigned from the three-year-old Mulayam government in UP.

However, the ruling Samajwadi party claimed that the resignationswould not affect the government and it will complete its term.

SP general secretary and state PWD minister Shivpal Singh Yadavtold mediapersons here the government enjoys an absolute majority inthe assembly.

''Although we do not know the reason behind the decision of theRLD, the state government has done enough for the farmers and the caneprice is much more here than in other states,'' Mr Yadav claimed.

Earlier, RLD supremo Ajit Singh announced that a letter about theresignation of its ministers would be sent to the Chief Minister,asserting that RLD's alliance with the SP ''is over''.

Asked if his party would continue to support the rulingdispensation, he said the RLD executive next week would decide on theissue. ''The UP polls are due shortly and there is no assembly sessionin the near future. Therefore, the issue of continuation of support hasno meaning.''

UNI