SP to go ahead with trust vote; UP Oppn' divided

Lucknow, Feb 25 (UNI) The ruling Samajwadi Party today asserted that it would go ahead with the trust vote in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly tomorrow even as the Opposition remained ''divided'' over attending the House proceedings.

Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav addressed the SP's legislature party meeting this evening. Besides SP legislators, the meeting was attended by several Independents and rebel BJP and BSP MLAs.

This will be for the first time that a majority government will seek a confidence vote in simultenous sittings of the House. The Samajwadi Party government had earlier gone for the trust vote on January 25, the day of last sitting of the present session. The confidence vote of the government might be the last major engagement of the assembly before the seven-phase polls slated in the state between April and May.

Talking to reporters after a short meeting, state Transport Minister Naresh Agarwal told reporters that the party lamented the attitide of the Opposition. ''They are deserting their moral responsibility in attending the House proceedings...we will go ahead with the trust vote as we have promised the people to seek a fresh vote of confidence,'' he said.

Mr Agarwal said his party did not believe in splitting parties.

''We do not believe in that. But the Opposition is running for cover fearing split in their ranks,'' he said in reply to a poser.

The Congress, on the other hand, remained indecisive on its floor stragegy. Congress Legislature Party leader Pramod Tiwari told UNI here that a decision will be taken at a meeting of the CLP here tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Congress leaders claimed that the party MLAs would join former Prime Minister V P Singh Jan Morcha's plan and gherao the Vidhan Bhawan. They claimed that the MLAs would not boycott the House and would submit their resignation to the Speaker before the starting of assembly proceedings at 1100 hrs.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, the principal opposition, said it was against providing a 'walkover' to the Chief Minister in the state Legislative Asembly tomorrow where he would seek a trust vote.

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