|
NEW DELHI/LUCKNOW: From Lucknow to Delhi, MLAs of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) are streaming in. They have allegedly been sent to Delhi by party leader Mayawati, and will later be transported to Punjab. It isn't a cross-country tour though; more like a game of hide and seek.
Mayawati is hiding her flock from Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav.
And confirming her fears are the complaints coming BSP MLAs who allege that Yadav had assigned Amarmani Tripathi, former minister in the Rajnath Singh government to execute "Operation break BSP". Amarmani was sacked by Rajnath Singh after the Special Task Force reported his involvement in a kidnapping case in December. He was elected on a BSP ticket. However, SP leaders described the charges as baseless.
Ten out of the BSP's 15 Muslim MLAs were reportedly seen at a SP meeting yesterday. BSP loyalists have denied these reports too.
But clearly Mayawati is unwilling to have her MLAs tempted. So she has ensured that all 98 of her MLAs gather in Delhi where they will formally elect her as their leader and formalise their strategy to stay united.
The MLAs will be lodged either in a hotel or will share accommodation with BSP MPs. After a couple of days in the capital they will be moved to Punjab or some other place where SP leaders will not be able to reach them.
BSP MP Rashid Alvi, was confident that his party would stay united. " All our MLAs are ideologically attached to Mayawati," he said. Kutubuddin, MLA from Bijnaur, endorsed Alvi's claim and said the SP would itself break in the process of weaning away MLAs from other parties. The BSP seems particularly worried about MLAs who joined the BSP merely for a ticket. There were reports that the party doled out tickets to people who could pay Rs 15-20 lakh.
What makes the BSP hopeful is its tally and UP governor Vishnu Kant Shastri's stance. Shastri has indicated that he may not invite Yadav to form the government unless the latter gives him the list of 203 members in his support.
| 
