SP, BSP to continue 'outside support' to UPA

Both Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party might be thoroughly opposed to the United Progressive Alliance government's recent decision to allow FDI in retail as well as the hike in diesel price, but neither of these parties are likely to immediately part ways with the UPA.

The two parties -- which have a huge support base in the country's most populous state Uttar Pradesh -- will continue extending 'external' support to the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government in New Delhi.

Both parties were critical of the Manmohan Singh government's decisions on crucial issues. But the top leadership of the two parties has preferred to remain as vague as possible on the vital question of continuance of their support to the UPA. Political observers believe that SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav as well as BSP supremo Mayawati had their personal axes to grind with UPA bigwigs.

It is quite apparent that the two leaders would use the situation to pressurise the Union government to get the Central Bureau of Investigation off their back. Both leaders are facing serious investigations into charges of disproportionate assets by the country's premier anti-corruption agency.

Talking to media personnel in Delhi, SP general secretary and national spokesperson Ram Gopal Yadav said, "We are not going to be guided by whatever Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee might have decided to do."

He said, "While the Samajwadi Party condemns the actions taken by the UPA government, we are not going to withdraw our support to it. We are supporting the all-India strike on September 20, following which we will take a final call on the issue."

Earlier, UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had said, "We do not intend to withdraw our support to the UPA government because our support was meant to keep communal forces at bay."

BSP state president Swami Prasad Maurya told Reuters on Tuesday, "Our party chief Mayawati ji has already made it loud and clear that we vehemently oppose the UPA government 's recent decisions on FDI as well as diesel prices. However, the party national executive will take the ultimate decision on the question of maintaining our support to the UPA regime at a meeting convened by behenji on October 10."

He said, "There is no change in our stand in the wake of Mamata Banerjee's decision."