(Rpt, rephrasing para one)

Lucknow, Jan 18 (UNI) The Uttar Pradesh Congress formally withdrew its ''outside'' support to the Mulayam Singh Yadav government and decided to sit in the Opposition in the state Assembly, which began its winter session today.

The party, which had last night announced its decision to withdraw support, today handed over a letter to this effect to Governor T V Rajeswar at Raj Bhawan.

A Congress delegation, led by UPCC president Salman Khurshid held talks with the Governor for over 15 minutes. The delegation included 11 party legislators.

Later, talking to reporters, Mr Khurshid said it was the moral duty of Congress not to support a government which was working against the interests of the common man.

Maintaining that Nithari serial killings and several land scams in the state have ''amply proved'' that the state government has lost moral grounds to continue in office, Mr Khurshid said the letter withdrawing support was meant to clear any doubts on the party's stand.

Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Pramod Tiwari, in reply to a poser, said since the Congress did not have sufficient numbers in the assembly it could not bring a no confidence motion against the government. ''You need 81 members to bring the no confidence motion...the BJP can do that but is not doing it,'' he quipped.

The party had extended its support to the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led SP in August, 2003 following the collapse of Mayawati-led BSP-BJP government ''to bring to power a secular government and to defeat any designs by the communal parties to regain power in the state.'' Last night, the Congress had announced its decision to withdraw the outside support to the Mulayam Singh government as it was ''encouraging corruption and had failed to maintain law and order in the state.'' The ruling coalition, however, still maintains a comfortable majority in the assembly.

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

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

It is for the second time that Congress has withdrawn support from the Mulayam Singh Yadav government. In April, 1991 the party had withdrawn support from the Mulayam-led government. But before that the then Chief Minister had announced to dissolve the state legislative assembly.

Samajwadi Party, on the other hand, declared not to withdraw support from UPA government at the Centre in order to keep communal forces at bay.

UNI