UP Cabinet authorises Mulayam to take ''political decision''

Lucknow, Jan 9 (UNI) After over two hours of hectic discussions, the Uttar Pradesh cabinet tonight authorised chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav to take any political decision.

The Chief Minister huddled into a meeting with his cabinet colleagues 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 called tonight, raising speculations about the move the CM was likely to take following the withdrawl of RLD quota ministers from the state government.

Soon after the meeting, which ended at 2330 hrs, a cabinet minister told UNI that the CM has been authorised to take any political decision he deemded fit. ''We all gave our views...the discussion was free 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 the crucial assembly poll, three ministers belonging to the RLD this afternoon resigned from the three-year-old Mulayam government in UP.

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

SP general secretary and state PWD minister Shivpal Singh Yadav told mediapersons here the government enjoys an absolute majority in the assembly.

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

Earlier, RLD supremo Ajit Singh announced that a letter about the resignation 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 ruling dispensation, he said the RLD executive next week would decide on the issue. ''The UP polls are due shortly and there is no assembly session in the near future. Therefore, the issue of continuation of support has no meaning.'' UNI