07-19-2008, 03:14 AM
<b> Hectic parleys on as trust vote nears</b>
Sandeep Dikshit and Anita Joshua
12 SP MPs unable to attend meet convened by Mulayam
NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India (Marxist), the CPI, Samajwadi Party, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) issued whips to their Lok Sabha members on Friday, asking them to vote as per the party decision during the trust vote on July 21-22.
Besides issuing a whip to its four members, the MDMK also submitted a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee informing him about the Election Commission decision recognising Vaiko as its general secretary. However, MDMK rebel leader L. Ganesan told The Hindu that he and Gingee N. Ramachandran would vote as per the decision of the Democratic Progressive Alliance leader M. Karunanidhi.
Meanwhile, the efforts to shore up numbers continued but the undecided parties â including United Progressive Alliance (UPA) constituent Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) â kept both sides guessing. There was considerable speculation through the day that JMM chief Shibu Soren was being offered a Union Cabinet berth or would be made the Jharkhand Chief Minister.
Another UPA constituent â the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimmen â is yet to take a decision on whether to vote with the government or against it. Its lone MP Asaduddin Owaisi said his party would decide by Saturday morning. Stories of desertions in the Congress camp itself did the rounds, though the partyâs spokesman Veerappa Moily maintained that all such reports were baseless.
Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh convened a meeting of Lok Sabha members but admitted that 12 MPs could not make it. While three SP members have said they will defy the whip, two are in jail. Of the other absentees, Salim Sherwani could not attend because of his sonâs wedding and there was a death in the family of Usha Verma. Another notable absentee was S. Bangarappa. The Samajwadi Party leadership, however, did not elaborate on the absence of other members.
Elsewhere in the capital around the same time, rebel Samajwadi Party member Munnawar Hasan said he had the support of seven other party MPs. Describing the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal as anti-Muslim, the Muzaffarnagar MP said he would formally join the Bahujan Samaj Party after the trust vote. Further, he claimed to have been offered Rs. 25 crore to vote in favour of the Government.
Late in the evening, Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader K. Chandrasekhara Rao flew into the capital and met his Rashtriya Lok Dal counterpart Ajit Singh. JD (S) leader H.D. Deve Gowda is due here on Saturday and is likely to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Meanwhile, Lok Jan Shakti Party leader and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan was optimistic of the government winning the trust vote in Parliament.
Declining to go into the details, Mr. Paswan was hopeful of the UPA alliance garnering the support of 276 to 288 Lok Sabha MPs.
Sandeep Dikshit and Anita Joshua
12 SP MPs unable to attend meet convened by Mulayam
NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India (Marxist), the CPI, Samajwadi Party, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) issued whips to their Lok Sabha members on Friday, asking them to vote as per the party decision during the trust vote on July 21-22.
Besides issuing a whip to its four members, the MDMK also submitted a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee informing him about the Election Commission decision recognising Vaiko as its general secretary. However, MDMK rebel leader L. Ganesan told The Hindu that he and Gingee N. Ramachandran would vote as per the decision of the Democratic Progressive Alliance leader M. Karunanidhi.
Meanwhile, the efforts to shore up numbers continued but the undecided parties â including United Progressive Alliance (UPA) constituent Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) â kept both sides guessing. There was considerable speculation through the day that JMM chief Shibu Soren was being offered a Union Cabinet berth or would be made the Jharkhand Chief Minister.
Another UPA constituent â the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimmen â is yet to take a decision on whether to vote with the government or against it. Its lone MP Asaduddin Owaisi said his party would decide by Saturday morning. Stories of desertions in the Congress camp itself did the rounds, though the partyâs spokesman Veerappa Moily maintained that all such reports were baseless.
Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh convened a meeting of Lok Sabha members but admitted that 12 MPs could not make it. While three SP members have said they will defy the whip, two are in jail. Of the other absentees, Salim Sherwani could not attend because of his sonâs wedding and there was a death in the family of Usha Verma. Another notable absentee was S. Bangarappa. The Samajwadi Party leadership, however, did not elaborate on the absence of other members.
Elsewhere in the capital around the same time, rebel Samajwadi Party member Munnawar Hasan said he had the support of seven other party MPs. Describing the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal as anti-Muslim, the Muzaffarnagar MP said he would formally join the Bahujan Samaj Party after the trust vote. Further, he claimed to have been offered Rs. 25 crore to vote in favour of the Government.
Late in the evening, Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader K. Chandrasekhara Rao flew into the capital and met his Rashtriya Lok Dal counterpart Ajit Singh. JD (S) leader H.D. Deve Gowda is due here on Saturday and is likely to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Meanwhile, Lok Jan Shakti Party leader and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan was optimistic of the government winning the trust vote in Parliament.
Declining to go into the details, Mr. Paswan was hopeful of the UPA alliance garnering the support of 276 to 288 Lok Sabha MPs.