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Mulayam keeps away, but promises support

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI JULY 23. Even though the cracks in Opposition unity appear to be on the mend, the Samajwadi Party continued to stay away from a meeting of non-Congress Opposition parties' in Parliament today.

However, the party chief, Mulayam Singh Yadav, relented a bit and assured the CPI (M) Parliamentary Party leader, Somnath Chatterjee, his outfit's support to the Opposition moves on floor coordination.

Mr. Yadav, whose party decided to keep aside its differences with the Congress and support Sushil Kumar Shinde's candidature for the Vice-Presidential election, has not minced words for being "labelled" by other Opposition parties as "spoiler". It has been keeping away from Opposition meetings in Parliament this session.

Briefing presspersons today, Mr. Chatterjee expressed confidence that the non-Congress Opposition would continue to coordinate, the manner in which the Government was cornered over developments in Gujarat on Monday, being a case in point.

The Opposition leaders had also decided to take up the issue of railway bifurcation, Mr. Chatterjee said adding that the question was not of States but whether the decision benefits the Railways as a whole. Criticising the Trinamool Congress threat of a West Bengal bandh over the issue, he wondered why the people of the State should suffer on account of "somebody's personal interest''.

Meanwhile, commenting on the BJP move to have early elections in Gujarat, Mr. Chatterjee said the Election Commission must visit the State to seek public opinion on the situation before arriving at any decision. It was only by touring the State that the commission would realise the abnormality of the situation there. He charged the BJP leaders with attempting to "pressure" the commission on holding polls.

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