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Will prove majority in the House, not Raj Bhavan: Mulayam
August 27, 2003 12:12 IST
Last Updated: August 27, 2003 15:04 IST
The political logjam in Uttar Pradesh continued with Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday stating that he would not submit a list of legislators supporting him to Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri as sought by the latter.
Yadav told PTI he and other opposition leaders had decided against submitting a list as the legislative assembly, and not Raj Bhavan, the governor's residence, is the appropriate forum to test the majority of any government.
"The governor should first invite us to form the government and we will then prove our majority on the floor of the House," he said.
The SP chief said barring the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party, all political parties had extended support to him in government formation. "Besides, all the independents have assured me their support," he said.
A meeting of opposition leaders was held at Rashtriya Kranti Party chief Kalyan Singh's residence on Tuesday night to finalise the strategy regarding the formation of an alternative government.
Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh and Congress legislative party leader Pramod Tiwari, besides Kalyan Singh and Yadav, attended the meeting.
Asserting the Samajwadi Party did not believe in the politics of 'horse trading', Yadav said, "Neither have we tried to break the BJP in the past nor are we going to do so now. Nobody from Samajwadi Party has tried to poach on BJP legislators."
Citing past instances when the single largest party had been invited to form a government, Singh said by the same logic the Samajwadi Party should be invited to form the government.
He termed as 'unfounded' reports that he was trying to rope in BJP legislators to help him form the next government.
Meanwhile, five legislators, including an independent, on Wednesday met the governor and handed over a letter extending their support to Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The MLAs, in their letter, said holding fresh elections would be against the interests of the state and the leader of the single largest party in the assembly should be invited to form the government.
The legislators who called on the governor were R K Chaudhary (Lok Parivartan Dal), Ram Govind Chaudhary (Samajwadi Janata Party), Kaushal Kishore (Rashtrawadi Communist Party), Dinanth Kushwaha (National Loktantrik Party) and Ram Nath (Independent).