UP’s “iron lady” Mayawati virtually went down on her knees on Tuesday to offer unsolicited support for the formation of a Congress-led UPA government at the Centre.
She announced the decision at the meeting of her party’s office-bearers held here to analyse the BSP’s dismal performance.
Interestingly, she pointed out that prime minister Manmohan Singh had called her his chhoti behn (younger sister) when she called up to congratulate him on Saturday.
Mayawati also used the occasion to boost the morale of her party leaders. “The BSP is the third largest national party as regards the vote share after the Congress and the BJP... it also has the largest vote share in UP,” she pointed out.
“We have stood second in about 50 seats in UP and won a seat in Madhya Pradesh... the BSP has registered its presence in several other states,” Mayawati told her party leaders. She also said that her tally in UP (20 seats) had not gone down but increased by one seat. “We are the biggest political power in UP and our popularity has only gone up,” she said.
Whatever Mayawati might say, the fact remains that apart from saving the BSP vote bank, her biggest priority now is to save her own skin. Her declaration of unconditional support to the UPA regime is seen as a bid to keep the Congress in good humour lest it should initiate action in the corruption cases pending against her.
The Taj Heritage Corridor case against Mayawati and her close lieutenant Naseemuddin Siddiqui is not buried yet. Though the governor refused the CBI permission to proceed against her, PILs against this “clean chit” are pending in the courts.
The disproportionate assets case is another thorn in Mayawati’s side. The CBI and the income-tax department are hot on her trail and she could be in trouble the day the Congress decides to take her to task for her severe outbursts against the party and against Rahul Gandhi during the election campaign.
She said she was doing this to strengthen secular forces. “We have decided to support the UPA from outside to keep communal forces at bay and to prevent the NDA and the BJP from forming the government,” she said.
However, Mayawati could not resist from making an oblique comment against the UPA: “We have offered our support to the UPA government despite knowing that it would not extend any financial aid to our government ... we also know that it would not take any strong steps in the interest of the common people.”
