New Delhi, Jun 13: After a meeting with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today hinted at a cabinet expansion in an apparent attempt to woo MLAs from the opposition united against her. Brushing aside opposition claims that her government has been reduced to a minority, she said she would get support from over two dozen Samajwadi Party MLAs whenever needed.
After a 30-minute meeting with Vajpayee here, Mayawati asserted that the BSP-BJP government enjoyed majority and said the opposition claim was hollow.
"I will consult allies before undertaking the next cabinet expansion," she said. “UP BJP chief Vinay Katiyar is right in saying that I enjoy absolute majority," she told reporters and added that she agreed with him that if her government fell, there would be mid-term elections.
She said besides her foreign visit to invite investors, current political issues also figured during the talks as BSP and BJP were the two main alliance partners in the state and have decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections jointly.
To a question on the joint meeting of opposition parties to dislodge her government, she said their efforts had lost steam even before she returned from the foreign trip and all their attempts to pull down her government had failed. On the alleged involvement of former minister Amar Mani Tripathi in the murder of poetess Madhumita Shukla, the chief minister said mere naming of a minister or anybody did not make one guilty. Evidence has to be provided, she said adding that action would be taken on the basis of CB-CID report. Bureau Report