Press Release Summary = The Union government seems to have made up its mind to impose president rule in Uttar Pradesh before February 26
Press Release Body = New Delhi, Feb 20: The Union government seems to have made up its mind to impose president rule in Uttar Pradesh before February 26, the day Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav has announced to seek trust vote.
The decision was taken after the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held telephonic talks first with his UPA allies and later with Left leaders Prakash Karat and A B Bardhan. According to sources while Karat was opposed to the imposition of President Rule in any state, Burdhran remained non-committed. It prompted the government to go ahead with the demand of the state Congress party to evoke Article 356 in Uttar Pradesh on the ground that the govern current government has lost moral right to govern following the verdict of the Supreme Court.
The Congress Working Committee, which met Wednesday night, conveyed its position to the government that free and fair polls to the state assembly could not be conducted under the present dispensation. It left to the government to take a final view on the issue. It is reliably learnt that prime minister Singh who was also present in the meeting sought time to bring the UPA and Leftist allies on board on the issue.
Singh had already spoken to the leaders of DMK Karunanidhi who initially was opposed to the imposition of President rule. Singh has successfully brought in on board. In view of the speculations that President APJ Abdul Kalam might refuse to oblige the government once the Union Cabinet recommends him to evoke President rule in UP for his close proximity to Mulayam Singh Yadav, Singh also called on the President today afternoon and held detailed discussion with him on the current law and order situation in UP particularly in the aftermath of Supreme Court\'s verdict, which disqualified 13 BSP MLAs who crossed over to Samajwadi Party during a trail of strength.
Singh wants to build a consensus before taking a final decision on the issue. He has called a meeting of core group of the Union Cabinet today evening to share the details of his talks with the President Kalam. Singh met Kalam as there was uncertainly in the Congress and UPA that the President might turned down the government\'s recommendation on UP. In that case it could lead to a serious confrontation between the government and the President ahead of the expiry of his tenure.
The SP has meanwhile cleverly linked the issue of dismissal of the state government with Presidential election. The party has charged the Congress of conspiring to deny the UP assembly from participating in the voting to the Presidential election. Party General Secretary Amar Singh who is apprehensive of his future accused the Congress of attempting to got its man in the Rastrapati Bhawan by keeping UP out of the picture.
The sources in the Congress said the government might act on UP before February 26 as it would not like the Mulayam Singh Yadav to go for trail of strength on the floor of the House fearing another horse-trading. The governor of UP T S Rajeswar has in its report also recommended the promulgation of Article 256 on the ground that the government has fallen to minority and break down of law and order machinery in the state.
However, there is a section in the Congress and the government that the imposition of President Rule might go in favor of SP as the party might get sympathy. This view was also widely discussed in the CWC meeting yesterday and since majority view was in favour of President Rule, the party left it to the prime minister to decide.
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