UP: Cong to boycott assembly proceedings

Lucknow, Feb 26: The Uttar Pradesh Congress today decided toboycott the assembly proceedings even as Chief Minister Mulayam SinghYadav plans to seek a trust vote in the absence of majority ofopposition parties.

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

The district administration, meanwhile, has given Congress twohours to protest outside Vidhan Bhawan. Congress workers and MLAs ledby UPCC president Salman Khurshid will reach Vidhan Sabha road at 1300hrs and continue with their protest for two hours.

Before that, former Prime Minister V P Singh-led Jan Morcha wouldtake out a march from Parivartan Chowk to Vidhan Bhawan to protestpossible ''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 thelegislature party meeting of the party last evening. Besides SPlegislators, the meeting was attended by several Independents and rebelBJP and BSP MLAs.

This will be for the first time that a majority government willseek confidence vote on simultaneous sittings of the house. TheSamajwadi Party government had gone for the trust vote on January 25last on the day of last sitting of the present session while it will doagain today.

The confidence vote of the government might be the last majorengagement of the assembly before the seven phase polls slated in thestate between April and May.

After the short meeting, state Transport minister Naresh Agarwalhad told mediapersons that the party lamented the attitide of theOpposition. ''They are deserting their moral responsibility inattending the house proceedings...we will go ahead with the Trust voteas we have promised the people to seek a fresh vote of confidence,'' hesaid.

The principal Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party said it wasagainst providing a 'walkover' to Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav inthe state legislative assembly.

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

''There is no way, the Mulayam government could have proved itsmajority on floor of the House on February 26, but after theresignation of 67 BSP members, now the ball is in the government'scourt,'' Mr Tandon added.

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

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

''Once assembly elections are announced, there practically lies noneed to seek a trust vote...It is a political stunt at best,'' said RLDgeneral secretary Munna Singh Chauhan here today.

He claimed that the February 14 decision of the Supreme Courtdisqualifying 13 MLAs of BSP's splinter group proves that thegovernment is illegal. ''Even after the decision if the Samajwadi Partywants to seek trust vote, then we cannot be a part of the stunt,'' headded.

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 willseek a confidence vote on simultaneous sittings of the House. The SPgovernment had gone for the trust vote on January 25, the last sittingday of the present session while it will do again tomorrow. Thoughthere is no demand for the confidence vote, the government is set to doit to prove its majority after the SC verdict disqualifying 13 MLAs ofthe BSP's splinter group.

Yesterday, BSP supremo Mayawati had announced resignation of allparty legislators along with 11 MLAs of other parties, including fiveof 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

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