The Hindu : No proof of lack of majority, says Governor

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 12, 2003

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No proof of lack of majority, says Governor

By J.P. Shukla

LUCKNOW June 11. The Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh have been forced to wait at least till September to fight it out with the Government on the floor of the Assembly, with the Governor, Vishnu Kant Shastri, rejecting their demand for either dismissing the Chief Minister, Mayawati, or directing her to seek a fresh vote of confidence. The last session of the Assembly ended in March.

Breaking his silence over the Opposition claim that with the Rashtriya Lok Dal's withdrawal of support, the Mayawati Government was reduced to a minority, the Governor said no details, which could prove prima facie that the Government was not in a majority, had been placed before him. A press statement issued selectively last night from the Raj Bhavan said that the Governor was not satisfied with the Opposition claim.

The statement said that on May 30, a delegation led by the RLD chief, Ajit Singh, and the leader of the party in the Assembly, Kokab Hamid, called on the Governor and submitted a letter stating the RLD was withdrawing support to the Government. On May 31, the Congress Legislature Party leader, Pramod Tiwari, in another letter to the Governor, demanded that Ms. Mayawati seek a fresh vote of confidence.

The State BJP chief, Vinay Katiyar, later called on Mr. Shastri and stated that the Government enjoyed a clear majority in the Assembly. The leader of the BJP legislature group and Minister for Urban Development, Lalji Tandon, told the Governor that in the past too the Opposition had claimed to have the support of some BJP MLAs. If a list of the MLAs was submitted, the Governor should call them to verify the claim, he said.

Newspaper reports on the Opposition's claim had been appearing all through, but no details, which could prove that the Government had lost its majority, were submitted to the Governor, the statement said.

Problems for RLD

The Governor's stand has created problems for the RLD, which shifted its group of MLAs to Srinagar to prevent "poaching". At present, the RLD legislators are camping in Shimla.

PTI reports:

The Samajwadi Party president, Mulayam Singh Yadav, has accused the Governor of not conforming to established democratic traditions while rejecting the Opposition demand for dismissing the Government.

The Raj Bhavan statement that the Opposition had so for not submitted any proof to enable the Governor to conclude that the Government had been reduced to a minority, appeared influenced by the Government, Mr. Yadav told presspersons in Etawah. After the Supreme Court verdict that a government's majority should be proved on the floor of the Assembly, there was no room for confusion, he said.

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