By IANS,
Lucknow : Uttar Pradesh’s ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Wednesday continued its efforts to win over jailed MPs from the state to defeat the Congress-led government in the July 22 trust vote.
Akbar Ahmed Dumpy, a Lok Sabha member from Azamgarh in eastern Uttar Pradesh, called on jailed MP Afzal Ansari from the Samajwadi Party.
While what transpired between them was not known, informed sources said the BSP was building bridges with as many MPs as possible amid allegations from the Samajwadi Party that the BSP was into horse-trading.
On Tuesday, PWD Minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui met BSP’s jailed MP Uma Kant Yadav, whom Mayawati had May 30 got arrested from outside her residence. He met Yadav in the Fatehgarh jail in Farukkhabad district.
Meanwhile, Atiq Ahmad, another Samajwadi Party MP from Phoolpur in Allahabad district, had earlier announced that he would vote against the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and stand by Mayawati.
Atiq is at present in jail in Mainpuri district on charges of killing former BSP legislator from Allahabad Raju Pal.
On the request of Atiq, the district court in Mainpuri Tuesday directed the district administration to make proper security arrangements for him to attend parliament session July 21-22 to vote on the India-US nuclear deal, informed sources said.
If Ansari also agrees to back Mayawati in parliament, the number of MPs of the Samajwadi Party voting against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government will rise to four.