Cong to boycott assembly proceedings; to demonstrate on roads

Lucknow, Feb 26 (UNI) The Uttar Pradesh Congress today decided to boycott the assembly proceedings even as Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav plans to seek a trust vote in the absence of majority of opposition parties.

Congress Legislature Party (CLP) which met this morning decided to boycott the assembly proceedings to protest the decision of an ''illegal government'' seeking a trust vote. While the CLP meeting continued, sources confided that party legislators would not atend the proceedings.

The district administration, meanwhile, has given Congress two hours to protest outside Vidhan Bhawan. Congress workers and MLAs led by UPCC president Salman Khurshid will reach Vidhan Sabha road at 1300 hrs and continue with their protest for two hours. Before that, former Prime Minister V P Singh-led Jan Morcha would take out a march from Parivartan Chowk to Vidhan Bhawan to protest possible ''horse trading'' by the ruling Samajwadi Party.

The ruling Samajwadi Party today asserted that it would go ahead with the trust vote.

SP supremo and chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav addressed the legislature party meeting of the party last 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 confidence vote on simultaneous sittings of the house. The Samajwadi Party government had gone for the trust vote on January 25 last on the day of last sitting of the present session while it will do again today.

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.

After the short meeting, state Transport minister Naresh Agarwal had told mediapersons 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.

The principal Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party said it was against providing a 'walkover' to Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav in the state legislative assembly.

Talking to mediapersons here after the party's legislature party meeting, Leader of the Opposition Lalji Tandon said, unlike Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), BJP was against providing the ruling party with a 'walkover.' ''We would attend the assembly proceedings and raise issues of puiblic interest,'' he said.

''There is no way, the Mulayam government could have proved its majority on floor of the House on February 26, but after the resignation of 67 BSP members, now the ball is in the government's court,'' Mr Tandon added.

He said the BSP's move was detrimental to the opposition unity against SP in the assembly, thus giving the latter a 'walkover' on the confidence vote.

Yesterday itself, former Union minister Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal(RLD) announced its decision to boycott the assembly proceedings.

''Once assembly elections are announced, there practically lies no need to seek a trust vote...It is a political stunt at best,'' said RLD general secretary Munna Singh Chauhan here today.

He claimed that the February 14 decision of the Supreme Court disqualifying 13 MLAs of BSP's splinter group proves that the government is illegal. ''Even after the decision if the Samajwadi Party wants to seek trust vote, then we cannot be a part of the stunt,'' he added.

The party has 15 MLAs in the state assembly and had recently withdrawn support from the Mulayam government.

In the Legislative Council, RLD MLCs would protest the finance bill the government proposes to bring in tomorrow.

This will be for the first time that a majority government will seek a confidence vote on simultaneous sittings of the House. The SP government had gone for the trust vote on January 25, the last sitting day of the present session while it will do again tomorrow. Though there is no demand for the confidence vote, the government is set to do it to prove its majority after the SC verdict disqualifying 13 MLAs of the BSP's splinter group.

Yesterday, BSP supremo Mayawati had announced resignation of all party legislators along with 11 MLAs of other parties, including five of BJP, four of SP and two Independents.

Ms Mayawati said the state government was ''unconstitutional'' and it is was moral in for the government to continue.

UNI