JOIN USThe Samajwadi Party may not continue to support the UPA government at the Centre till 2014, if the Congress sticks by its decisions on diesel price hike, cap on the number of subsidised LPG cylinders for domestic use and FDI in retail.
“At the moment, the SP is giving outside support to the UPA. But support can not be guaranteed till 2014, when the next Lok Sabha elections are scheduled, if the Congress does not bring in flexibility in its decisions on diesel, LPG and FDI,” a senior Samajwadi Party functionary told Deccan Herald. Asked whether the party will withdraw support to the UPA before 2014, the leader said: “This will depend on the policies and attitude of the Congress because we don’t want to be associated with government policies which antagonise the people.”
Volleying questions on the possibility of a mid-term poll, especially after the Trinamool Congress pulled out of UPA, the leader said: “In the present scenario, the government may collapse even during the winter session of Parliament as it will not be able to get majority votes on various bills.”
Ramgopal Yadav, Samajwadi Party MP and brother of Mulayam Singh Yadav, however, ruled out any possibility of joining the UPA government or entering into a coalition with other political parties before the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. “Any alliance from our side will be done only after next general elections,” he asserted.
After the TMC, with 19 Lok Sabha MPs, decided to withdraw support to the UPA government on Tuesday, support of the Samajwadi Party, with 22 members in the Lower House, has become crucial for survival of the ruling dispensation.