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Mulayam wants Mayawati govt dismissed

Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow and agencies

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday wanted the Centre to dismiss the Uttar Pradesh government saying the Bahujan Samaj Party-Bharatiya Janata Party coalition was reduced to a minority after a section of the BJP legislators rebelled against Chief Minister Mayawati following resentment over the recent Cabinet expansion.

But the BJP rejected Singh's claim. Party spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, "Though the SP and the Congress are desperate to form the government for quite some time, they will not only remain disappointed, but will be thoroughly exposed."

On the revolt by a section of the party legislators, he said, "The party leadership is in touch with the dissidents and has warned them of action if they indulged in anti-party activities."

But Mulayam, sensing an opportunity to grab power said, "I wish to congratulate the BJP rebels who have displayed courage of conviction to oppose the goings-on in the government. I am sure this will encourage many more who were getting suffocated in the party."

"So far it was only the Samajwadi Party that had been highlighting the all-round ills in the Mayawati-led government. Now I am glad that now discontent is simmering from within," he added.

"I am hopeful that good sense will prevail in the Congress to extend support to us in this mission of throwing out a communal government from the India's most populous state," he said in reply to a question.

Asked if his party was making any moves to topple the government, Mulayam said, "There is no need for anyone to topple the government now, when it has already been reduced to a minority."

But he declined to comment whether Congress president Sonia Gandhi's 'unfavourable reaction' to Samajwadi Party's offer for joining hands to upstage the Uttar Pradesh government was a tit-for-tat to his own refusal to support Sonia's candidature for prime ministership after the last Lok Sabha election. "That issue stands clarified a number of times and I do not wish to say anything further on that."

A large of independents supporting the Mayawati government are also reportedly dissatisfied with the allocation of portfolios in the recent Cabinet reshuffle.

Meanwhile, even as the BJP leadership cracked the whip on its dissidents, defiant legislators have formed an action group to launch what they called the 'Save BJP Campaign'.

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No disgruntlement in Uttar Pradesh BJP unit: PM
Uttar Pradesh BJP dissidents to air their grievances before PM

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