Chandigarh, July 02: The Rashtriya Lok Dal today claimed that the Uttar Pradesh government headed by Mayawati was "well short" of a majority and demanded that a special assembly session should be called to expose her "lie". "If Mayawati is so confident of her majority then why is she afraid of calling the session. She knows very well that that not only some of the BJP legislators but also many of her own party MLAs will oppose and expose her," RLD president and former Union minister Ajit Singh told reporters here.
Even with the support of BJP MLAs, the BSP-led government was "well short" of majority, he said adding, "All opposition parties have come on one platform with the aim of removing the non-performing, anti-people government". The RLD president said "new political equations are coming up and they will have their effect not just in UP, but also on the national political scene as well."
Hitting out at the BJP, he accused it of constantly shifting its stand on the temple issue with the sole aim of protecting its "votebank". Singh alleged that BJP, Bajrang Dal, VHP and the RSS want to keep the issue alive. "They are not interested in its solution. BJP wants to keep the country's people involved in this because they have nothing to speak on the development front," he said.
The former minister said, "Bajrang Dal, VHP and RSS want that the BJP should contest its next parliamentary elections under L K Advani's leadership, so that they are able to carry on with their Hindutva agenda."
Asked whether Congress president Sonia Gandhi will be able to take care of the farmers' interest if she were to become India's Prime Minister, he said it was for the people to decide who they want as their next leader and added that her foreign origin was "no longer an issue".
He also dismissed allegations that his party had been indulging in politics of "opportunism". "Ours is a small party, but we have never compromised with our principles," he said. Bureau Report