Cong withdraws support from Mulayam govt; UP govt still safe

Lucknow, Jan 17 (UNI) Ending its love-hate relationship with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress today announced withdrawal of support from the ruling dispensation.

The ruling coalition, however, still maintains a comfortable majority in the assembly, which meets tomorrow for the winter session.

Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav is all set to prove his majority in the assembly during the proposed session.

The Congress maintained that although technically, it was not supporting the government, it was necessary to dispel any doubts in the minds of the people on the issue.

The Congress is ending its three-year-old ''outside support'' to the SP government after the Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) last week withdrew its three ministers from the ruling coalition.

Addressing a news conference here tonight, UPCC chief Salman Khurshid said he would call on Governor T V Rajeswar tomorrow morning and hand him a letter on support withdrawal.

In the assembly, while the SP has 152 members, RLD has 15 members.

RLD has not yet announced any move to oppose the government on the floor of the house, although it withdrew its three ministers from the ruling dispensation.

Citing reasons for the move, Mr Khurshid claimed the law and order situation in UP was in tatters and the party did not want any confusion to prevail in this regard.

Soon after the BSP-BJP government led by Mayawati collapsed in August 2003, the Congress wrote to the governor extending support to any non-BJP secular government in UP.

The Congress, which had otherwise been vocal against the Mulayam government, had often stated it was technically not supporting the government.

With this, the 16 MLAs will now sit in the opposition benches during the 14-day assembly session. The other Opposition groups include BJP (83 members -- five of them unattached and supporting the government), BSP (67 members).

Soon after the RLD withdrew its ministers, the state government decided to reconvene the recently-concluded monsoon session.

But when the governor signed the order to prorogue the session, the state government and the Raj Bhawan came on a collision course.

However, the government later relented and agreeed to call a fresh session.

UNI