The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday decided to continue partnering with the Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh, with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee making it clear that both parties should follow coalition ethics.
At a meeting of the central parliamentary board, the BJP top brass decided to treat as 'closed' the controversy over Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's demand for removal of Union Tourism Minister Jagmohan over the Taj Heritage Corridor controversy.
The chief minister had withdrawn her demand on Tuesday.
Following the 90-minute meeting, BJP spokesperson Pramod Mahajan said the party felt that in future such incidents should not happen and that the coalition should function under Mayawati's leadership.
"The board expressed satisfaction that the situation has changed and a solution found."
In Lucknow, meanwhile, Mayawati chose to give vent to her feelings.
At a meeting with her party legislators, the chief minister, without naming the BJP, expressed displeasure over the lack of support from coalition partners in Parliament when the opposition raised the Taj issue.
She said the Ayodhya issue was not allowed to be taken up in the Lok Sabha on the ground that it was pending before the Central Bureau of Investigation whereas the Taj issue, which was also pending with the investigation agency, was permitted to be taken up.
The opposition had raked the Taj controversy because it was 'scared of the rising popularity graph of the BSP', she said.
She asked her legislators to be prepared for election.
Mayawati reiterated that she had retracted her demand for Jagmohan's dismissal only after an assurance from Vajpayee his deputy Lal Kishenchand Advani that they would look into her complaints.
She also convened another meeting of BSP legislators and members of Parliaent on August 6.
