New Delhi: The UPA government on Friday breathed easy with the Samajwadi Party bailing it out pledging its continued support as Trinamool Congress formally split with the coalition withdrawing its backing after its ministers quit.
Significantly, the TMC, which withdrew the support of 19 of its MPs to the government, did not not press for a vote of confidence by the government when they met President Pranab Mukherjee.
Breaking the suspense, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who had on Thursday joined hands with the Left and other parties on the streets of Delhi against the government’s decision to allow FDI in retail and the diesel price hike, came out with a statement totally backing to the UPA.
“Our support is clear. We will not not let communal forces come to power. That is why I am supporting. I am not not in upa. But we are supporting so that communal forces do not not make any progress,” he told reporters in Delhi.
The pledge of continued support by Mulayam Singh Yadav, leader of the 22 MP-strong SP, “to keep the communal forces at bay” will ensure the backing of over 300 MPs to the Dr Manmohan Singh government in the 545-member Lok Sabha.
The withdrawal of support by TMC brought down the strength of UPA and its allies to 254, 19 short of the half-way mark of 273 in the Lok Sabha. However, the backing of 50 MPs belonging to outside allies like SP (22) and BSP (21) takes the coalition’s support to over 300.
Govt should prove majority: Sangma
In the backdrop of Trinamool Congress pulling out of ruling UPA, former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno A Sangma on Friday asked the Central government to convene special session of Parliament to prove its majority on the floor of the House.
“The UPA government must convene a special session of the Parliament to prove its majority on the floor of the House after withdrawal of support to it by the TMC,” he said on the sidelines of a function here.
Sangma lauded Mamata Banerjee for taking a ‘bold step’ by severing ties with UPA government over differences on the issues like FDI in retail, diesel price hike and other economic policies. (PTI)