Mulayam Govt should be allowed to prove strength : Basu

Kolkata, Feb 19 (UNI) Describing as unjustified any move to impose President's rule in Uttar Pradesh, veteran CPI(M) leader Jyoti Basu today said the Mulayam Singh Government should be allowed to prove its strength on the floor of the House.

"It will not be right to impose President's rule in Uttar Pradesh. We do not want it. If the present Government in the state wins a trial of strength on the floor of the House it will remain.

If it can not it will go" Mr Basu told reporters after attending the party's State Committee meeting here.

He said the party had already expressed its view on the issue saying that the process should be to allow the UP Government to prove majority and there should be no move to dislodge it by invoking the constitutional provision.

Observing that neither the Raj Bhavan nor Delhi should determine whether President's rule should be imposed in Uttar Pradesh, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat had said yesterday that the party was against any "midnight promulgation" of the article 356 of the constitution and the matter should be left with the people.

Mr Karat hoped that wisdom would prevail on the Manmohan Singh Government in not going for misuse of power.

Referring to the other parties demand for "totally scrapping the Article," Mr Karat said his party wanted certain modifications in the Article to ensure safeguards against its misuse.

UNI