By IANS,
New Delhi : Mincing no words in criticising the Left and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for deciding to vote against the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, the Samajwadi Party Sunday said “the red flag and Lal Krishna Advani are one” and expressed confidence that the coalition government would “bounce back”.
“The government will bounce back. You will be surprised to see the number of people who support the government,” Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh told reporters here.
On the number of party MPs who would support the government in Tuesday’s trust vote, he said: “We have suspended five. But despite the defection, 39 members will vote for the government,” he said. The party has 39 MPs in the Lok Sabha.
Denying that many MPs were leaving the party, the Samajwadi Party chief said they are “one and united” and dubbed those who have left as “opportunists”.
Those who have openly defied the party are Munawwar Hassan, S.P. Singh Baghel, Rajnarayan Budholiya and Jai Prakash. The four MPs have announced they will vote against the government. The party’s Rajya Sabha MP Shahid Siddiqui Saturday joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
“The Hamirpur MP (Budholiya) wanted to save a contract, that is why he joined the BSP,” Yadav said.
“Our numbers are intact. Those who have left had become traitors much before. Only one ran away yesterday. You wait and see our numbers when others come to us. You will be shocked and watch it with open eyes,” he added.
Targeting the Left parties, which withdrew support to the UPA government July 9 after the government said it was going ahead with the India-US nuclear deal, Mulayam Singh said: “The red flag and Lal Krishna Advani (BJP chief) are one and they have come together. The Left parties, the BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) and the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) are one.”
“Mayawati has praised Narendra Modi (Gujarat chief minister) as the best CM and the Left wants Mayawati to become the PM,” he said in an open barb against the communist’s for siding with the BSP supremo and Uttar Pradesh chief minister.
“I am surprised and upset at the Left coming together with the BJP to ensure the fall of the government. The Left and the BJP were earlier trying to make me the prime minister.
“But now the very same Left parties are targeting me. The Left should think again (on withdrawing support) because they are supporting the communal forces (siding with the BJP in the trust vote),” he stated.
“We appeal to the Left to practise the politics of secularism. If anyone has fought against communal forces then it is the Samajwadi Party,” he added.
Making his stand on the nuclear deal clear, Mulayam Singh said : “We are supporting the nuclear deal. We want to stop and weaken the communal forces. The nuclear deal is in national interest. India has an independent foreign policy.”
He charged arch-rival and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati with offering money to MPs to stop them voting for the government Tuesday.
Taking pot shots at Telugu Desam Party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, who said it would not be wrong to make Mayawati the prime minister, Singh said: “Please, talk less. You have been with the BJP.”
“Who is the supporter of the Muslims. Only the Samajwadi Party. I have never done any kind of agreement with the BJP,” he said.
Speaking to reporters, Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh asserted that their flock was together and more were joining them. “We are in talks with some BSP members,” he said but refused to name them.
“Don’t worry. Let us do our work. We cannot disclose their names… then they will be pressurised,” he said.
“All these parties – Left, BJP and BSP – are communal parties. Their coming together has shown their real face,” Amar Singh said.