Mayawati upset with govt but won't withdraw support

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati is upset with Congress over its "attitude" on the bill for promotions in government jobs for SCs and STs but will continue support to it for rest of its term.

Days after pandemonium scuttled passage of the Constitution Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha, Mayawati said the "intention" of the Congress is doubtful and the ruling party did not seem serious on the issue.

"Their intention is doubtful...they want the bill to remain hanging," the BSP chief told PTI in an interview, while underlining that the proposed legislation could have been passed if the Congress and the government wanted.

Asked whether she would continue to extend support to UPA in view of her unhappiness, she ruled out pulling the plug.

"We extended support to UPA to see that communal forces do not get strengthened at the central level.... I supported it for three-and-a-half years. Now only one-and-a-quarter year is left.... We will give them further chance," she said.

The reservation bill, being pushed by BSP, was passed by the Rajya Sabha but the debate on it in the Lok Sabha could not be completed because of pandemonium created by Samajwadi Party on December 19 and 20, the last two days of the just-concluded winter session.

Mayawati said the government deliberately created a situation in the Lok Sabha where even BJP created uproar after its senior leader L K Advani was disallowed from making his point on the quota bill.

"Had the government been actually willing to get the bill passed, it could have requested for use of marshals (against protesting SP members in Lok Sabha). Marshals were used in Rajya Sabha during Women's Reservation Bill," she said.

She also accused the government of failing on other fronts like economic and poverty alleviation besides uplift of SC and STs. "I am upset," she said.