Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Monday applied brakes on her “threat” to withdraw support to the Congress-led government at the Centre, as the Union Finance Ministry moved the court to challenge the Income Appellate Tax Tribunal’s order that was giving a clean chit to her in a disproportionate assets case against her.

Mayawati who arrived here after kickstarting her 52nd birthday in Lucknow, had changed tracks and carefully resisted criticism of the Congress-led UPA’s dispensation at the Centre.

“I am too preoccupied with my engagements and the party would decide on the support to the Centre, after discussing it at an appropriate time”, she said, when asked about her threat to pull the BSP plug on the UPA dispensation.

Mayawati went out of her way to tell newspersons that not only Congress President Sonia Gandhi had telephoned her but even “a busy prime minister” had called her up from Beijing.

The “greetings” notwithstanding, the Finance Ministry’s move to challenge the Tribunal’s order reflected a downward  trend in the bilateral ties of the Congress and the BSP. The Ministry will move the Delhi HC to challenge the order of the Income Appellate Tax Tribunal, which said that gifts in cash and property to UP CM Mayawati were not taxable. “Action will be taken as per the law,” Central Board of Direct Taxes  spokesperson said, when asked to comment on the Centre’s plan of action in the case.

Surrounded by a crowd of applauding party leaders, bureaucrats and family members including her father, Mayawati released the third-volume of her book Mere Sangharshmaya Jeevan Avam BSP movement Ka Safarnama.  The CM gave details of the ‘Ganga Express-way Project’ from Noida in the West of UP, to Ballia.