JD(U) to oppose UPA Government during confidence motion

New Delhi, Jul 20 (UNI) A meeting of the Janata Dal (United) executive has decided to oppose the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance in the Lok Sabha during the Confidence Motion on July 22.

Announcing this decision, Party president Sharad Yadav told newspersons here today that the decision was taken during the two -day emergency meeting of the Party's national executive which concluded today.

He said it was not only the Indo-US nuclear deal but also the UPA's failure on the fronts like price rise, inflation, agrarian crisis, foreign and trade policies, which forced the Party to take this drastic move and make sure that this UPA Government led by Dr Manmohan Singh face defeat on the floor of the Lok Sabha.

Mr Yadav said,''The Nuclear deal is going to mortgage country's sovereignty to US that is why the Party has decided to oppose the confidence motion to be moved by the Governemnt in the special Lok Sabha session commencing tomorrow.'' Regretting the decision of the five-member Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) to support the nuclear deal, Mr Yadav said perhaps it was the inability of the JMM leadership to understand the implications of the Indo-US nuclear deal.

The JMM chief should have thought about the welfare and uplift of the millions of tribals in Jharkhand and other forest areas of the country, he said.

Taking a pot shot at RJD chief and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, the JD(U) chief said the RJD had all along been banking upon the support from the Left Parties which now seemed to be in the opposite camp and how long they would maintain this stand was a big question, Mr Yadav added.

He said it was unfortunate that at a time when the country was facing problems of soaring price rise, inflation touching 13 per cent, Commerce Minister Kamal Nath was negotiating India's surrender at Brussels at the WTO talks.

He alleged that the country was agreeing to reduce the number of items under tariff from 122 to 30 under pressure from developed countries.

This would doom the fate of millions of farmers and one could only foresee more farmers committing suicides in the coming years after this great surrender, Mr Yadav said.

Responding to a question, he conceded, '' Sitting members do change their camps for their individual prospects before elections but this number is insignificant.'' He expressed his full confidence that the UPA Governemnt led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would not be able to garner the required magic number of 272 to prove its majority.

UNI/BKS GT RK1810