Sonia consults senior colleagues on UP scenario

New Delhi, Feb 20 (UNI) With speculation about the possibility of President's Rule being imposed in Uttar Pradesh doing the rounds, Congress President Sonia Gandhi continued the process of her consultations with her party colleagues all through the day today in a bid to assess their opinion on the desirabililty of the Central rule.

However, in private conversations, senior AICC office bearers saw no possibility of the Article 356 being invoked in the state following the Supreme Court verdict disqualifying 13 former BSP MLAs who helped Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav to form the Government in the state. The Congress was not going to gain anything out of imposition of President's Rule,they felt during chat with mediapersons.

Ms Gandhi initiated the process of consultations with senior Congress leaders last night when she sought the individual opinion of all the CWC members and AICC General Sectretaries on the crucial issue at a three-hour-long meeting of the CWC, the highest policy making body of the Congress.

Yesterday's CWC meeting,while expressing concern at the serious political situation pevailing in Uttar Pradesh, had left the matter regarding imposition of President's Rule in the State to be decided by the Centre. It noted that the Mulayam Singh Government had lost all moral right to be in power in view of the Supreme Court judgement disqualifying 13 MLAs of the BSP supporting his Government.

Congress General Secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh Ashok Gehlot, State Congress President Salman Khurshid, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, among others, called on Ms Gandhi at 10,Janpath, her official residence, and discussed the pros and cons of the proposition to invoke Article 356 of the Constitution to dismiss the Mulayam Singh Government. Congress MP from Amethi Rahul Gandhi also joined in the deliberations, according to party sources.

The sources said Mr Mukherjee gave his inputs on the prevailing situation to Mrs Gandhi and later met CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat to apprise him of Mrs Gandhi's views and to ascertain his views on the matter.

Mr Karat later met the Prime Minister and is believed to have reiterated his stand that Mr Mulayam Singh should be given the opportunity to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly and that Article 356 should not be invoked there.

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