The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday decided to issue a whip to party legislators in Uttar Pradesh to vote against the confidence motion moved by Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav in the state assembly on September 8.
The decision to issue the whip was taken at a meeting of the BJP top brass, including Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani and party president M Venkaiah Naidu in Delhi.
"We have decided to play the role of a responsible and constructive opposition. However, in case the Mulayam Singh government falls we will not make any attempt to form an alternative government," senior party leader Kalraj Mishra said.
Union Agriculture Minister Rajnath Singh, state BJP president Vinay Katiyar, legislative party leader Lalji Tandon also attended the meeting.
Union Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi, party general secretaries Pramod Mahajan, Sanjay Joshi and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and senior state leader Om Prakash Singh also attended the meeting.
Later Naqvi told PTI that Advani said at the meeting the party should with all confidence prepare to fight the elections on its own strength.
The meeting also strongly rejected 'the baseless and confusing' statements of former chief minister and ally Mayawati on the ties between the two parties.
At a press conference on Thursday Mayawati had alleged that a lobby within BJP including Rajnath Singh, Pramod Mahajan and Lalji Tandon was responsible for the fall of her government and snapping of ties between the two parties.
"The BJP is completely united on all and every issue," Naqvi said.
He also rejected speculation that BJP MLAs may vote in favour of Mulayam Singh Yadav during the confidence motion.
"All are MLAs are solidly with the party and there will not be any defection whatsoever," he said.
Addressing the meeting Naidu said the BSP-BJP government was warranted by the prevailing circumstances.
Terming the coalition as 'sweet and sour experience' he said the present political developments were a turning point for the party in Uttar Pradesh and all workers should work hard unitedly to get the mandate of the people in the next assembly elections whenever they are held.
