This Article is From Mar 09, 2010

Lalu, Mulayam to meet President, withdraw support

Lalu, Mulayam to meet President, withdraw support
New Delhi: Lalu and Mulayam Singh Yadav have said they will meet the President to formally withdraw their support to the UPA government. Between them, they have 26 Lok Sabha MPs.

Both men have been the most prominent opponents of the Women's Reservation Bill.   On Tuesday morning, the Prime minister met them in an attempt to bring them on-board, but both men stood firm. They claim the bill does not protect the interest of Dalits and Muslims.

In the afternoon, both men encountered Sonia Gandhi in the Lok Sabha and had a twenty-minute conversation with her.

Commenting on their interaction, Sonia Gandhi told reporters that she had said to Lalu, "He has seven daughters. I was telling him that within his family there are seven for the Bill." Asked what was Prasad's reaction, she said "he just laughed."

The Congress was tough on pushing the bill through the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday because Sonia Gandhi insisted on it. On Monday, the Congress deferred the vote hours after Lalu and Mulayam threatened to withdraw their support to the government if the bill is not amended.

Sonia Gandhi has placed much at stake with her insistence on the Women's Bill being pushed through on Tuesday. Privately, Congress sources insist they're worried. If Lalu and Mulayam start voting with the BJP and the Left against the government on key issues, the government will find itself in an embarrassing position. Without the Yadavs, the government has a single-digit majority in the Lok Sabha.
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