LUCKNOW, March 1: Just four days after his emphatic win, UP Chief Minister Kalyan Singh's worries have begun with a struggle within the Loktantrik Congress. LC leader Naresh Agarwal is putting pressure on Kalyan to drop two LC ministers, Harishanker Tiwari and Shyam Sundar Sharma.On February 25, Agrawal had expelled Tiwari and Sharma from the party when they stayed with Jagdambika Pal while he, along with 17 LC MLAs, came back to Kalyan. However, on the day of the composite floor-test, both Tiwari and Sharma dumped Pal and voted for Kalyan. Now Agrawal and his band of 17 MLAs, sources said, have told Kalyan that they were willing to support him but would stay out of the Cabinet till he dumps Sharma and Tiwari.
BJP leader Atal Behari Vajpayee had to intervene to persuade Agrawal to take it easy. Both met in Lucknow yesterday afternoon in the presence of Kalyan Singh and state party chief Rajnath Singh.
"We have demanded the immediate ouster of the two ministers but have not sent our resignations to theCM," Agrawal told reporters at the guest house where he had the meeting with Vajpayee and Kalyan Singh. Tiwari, however, dismissed the threat: "Naresh Agarawl is not our leader and has no authority to sack anyone." Meanwhile, another LC minister, Puran Singh Bundela, who was dropped from the ministry by the CM on Friday has charged Kalyan Singh and Naresh Agarawl with playing opportunistic politics. "Naresh is like the fish who fouls the entire pond," he told reporters today.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
