Notwithstanding DMK’s withdrawal from UPA-II, the Government’s eternal saviours Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) continued to provide the crutches to the ruling dispensation.
The BSP with 21 MPs in lok Sabha affirmed its continuous support while the 22-member SP termed the DMK’s posturing as blackmailing tactics.
The two archrivals are central to the overall 57 MPs extending outside support to the Congress-led coalition at the Centre.Senior SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav said his party will continue to support the Central government and claimed the DMK’s decision was only to “blackmail” the Government on the Sri lankan Tamils issue. He asserted the present dispensation was stable.
“No one has pulled out. This is only to blackmail the Government. It is stable,” Yadav said. He maintained that neither DMK has withdrawn support nor it intends to do so. “Has it (DMK) given anything in writing to the President,” he sought to know.
BSP supremo and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati stressed that her party will support the UPA Government in Parliament. “The UPA Government is not in a minority, we will support it.”
One of the UPA’s major allies, NCP, hoped that DMK will reconsider its decision. NCP Vice President Praful Patel while cautioning against jumping to any conclusion on the fallout of the DMK announcement noted that Karunanidhi himself has stated he would reconsider his decision if Parliament passes a resolution on lankan Tamils issue. “let us not jump to any conclusion. DMK has said they would reconsider if Parliament passes a resolution on the lankan Tamils issue,” he added.
On the other hand, describing as “state of uncertainty” the situation at the Centre, CPI(M) said it favours full autonomy for lankan Tamils. “Right now the situation (at the Centre) is in a state of uncertainty...They (DMK) have formally announced pulling out of UPA and the government is in minority because of this,” CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said adding his party is clear about the autonomy issue.