Mulayam Govt's fate hangs in balance, efforts on to win over CPI-M

New Delhi, Feb 20 (UNI) The fate of the Mulayam Singh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh today hung in balance with the last ditch efforts being made to make the CPI-M, the only stumbling block, to fall in line and agree to inposition of President's rule in the state.

On the other, a Samajwadi Party delegation comprising senior party leaders, including Amar Singh, today called on President APJ Abdul Kalam and urged him to recall the state Governor who, they said, was acting as an agent of the Congress.

While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met senior CPI-M leader Prakash Karat, senior Congress leaders like Ashok Gehlot, Pranab Kumar Mukherji and UPCC chief Salman Khurshid met UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in an effort to expedite the exit of the SP-led government.

The ruling Congress at the Centre, the BJP, the BSP and other parties except the CPI-M and a few left groups, are demanding dismissal of the government in the light of the Supreme Court judgement disqualifying 13 BSP MLAs in the state which had supported Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav in forming government in August 2003.

Their contention is that along with the 13 legislators, 24 others too stood disqualified on the same ground, rendering the state government an illegally formed entity.

Former Prime Minister VP Singh and film star Raj Babbar whose recently former Jan Morcha was carrying on a campaign against the ''corrupt SP-led government in the state, also met President Kalam soon after the SP delegation left and urged him to dismiss the Mulayam Singh Government.

At the Congress Working Committee meeting last night, the ruling party had agreed on the necessity of imposing President rule in the state, but said it was for the government to take a final decision.

The Congress is trying hard to reach a consensus on such a decision had so far suceeded in making allies like the DMK, who were earlier averse to invocation of Article 356, to agree to its views.

It is now only the CPI-M, the only hope of the Samajwadi Party, which has to be won over by the Congress.

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