Press Trust of India Posted online: Thursday, January 30, 2003 at 1538 hours IST Updated: Thursday, January 30, 2003 at 1658 hours IST
Lucknow, January 30: In a development that could comfort Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, the Apna Dal with three MLAs on Thursday distanced itself from Samajwadi Party and hinted it would abstain from voting if a no-trust motion was brought by the Opposition against her government.
Coming close on the heels of a split in the Congress Legislature Party, the parting of ways of the Apna Dal from the 'pichchra Morcha' (backwards forum) floated by SP Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has bolstered the hopes of the ruling coalition, facing a serious threat after dissension in BJP.
"We are not going with any party or supporting it, but we also do not rule out backing anyone on issues of public interest if it is not against our principles," Apna Dal President Sonelal Patel said in Lucknow.
In the prevailing circumstances, fresh elections are the best option and Apna Dal would support those who stood for seeking a fresh mandate, he said.
In the event of Opposition parties bringing a no confidence motion against the government, "A decision will be taken in accordance with our principles and the situation at that time. We could even decide to abstain," Patel said.
The three main political parties championing the cause of the backward castes—SP, Apna Dal and the Rashtriya Kranti Party of Kalyan Singh—had resolved to consolidate the backward vote base by joining hands.
But after the Akbarpur by-poll last year, which the three parties had fought jointly, there has been no initiative from Yadav and the Apna Dal has decided to go it alone, Patel said.
Patel had supported Mayawati's move to rename Amethi after Shahuji Maharaj and it was seen by BSP as a softening of stand by the Apna Dal towards the Mayawati government.
"We supported Mayawati on the issue of renaming Amethi after a great social reformer because it was a right decision and was as assertion of ameliorating the lot of Dalits. But it does not mean that we are supporting the BSP," Patel said.
The Apna Dal is, however, unhappy with the government as one of its three MLAs Atiq Ahmed was arrested and sent to jail last year.
