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SP confident of numbers for trust vote
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ASIANAGE on 18 July, 2008 04:18:25
 
BY MANISH ANAND
NEW DELHI
July 18: Though just 21 out of the total strength of 39 Lok Sabha MPs attended
the SP Parliamentary Board meeting of the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Friday, the
party MPs in its dinner meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday are
to tell him that they have enough numbers to sail through the trust vote.
The meeting took stock of the damage done to the party by the poaching
attempts, with the party finally acknowledging that the rebel MPs — Munawwar
Hasan, Jai Prakash Rawat, Atiq Ahmed and Rajnarain Budholiya — have deserted
the SP. However, the party leadership have been concerned with the absence of
the Lok Sabha MPs Usha Verma and Radhey Shaym Kori from Hardoi and Ghatampur
reserved constituencies, respectively.
"Ms Verma is a relative of the rebel SP MP Jai Prakash Rawat and has been
influenced by former SP leader Naresh Agarwal, who is now in the BSP, to join
ranks with Ms Mayawati. Mr Kori is also in touch with the BSP," said a source.
The party is also waiting for the bail of the jailed Ghazipur MP Afzal Ansari
though it’s concerned that the BSP is putting pressure on him to vote against
the trust vote. "The BSP supremo is pressurising Mr Ansari with the threat of
slapping more charges against him if he does not join Ms Mayawati," said SP MP
Shafiqul Rahman Barq. However, veteran SP MP from Allahabad, Kunwar Revati Raman
Singh, said that the party is intact, leaving aside the rebels and the shortfall
would be made with the BSP MPs, who are in touch with the party leaders to cross
the floor on July 22.
The SP leaders on Friday established contact with independent MP from Amroha
Harish Nagpal, who was presented by the BJP on Thursday to the press with the
claim that he would vote against the trust motion. Mr Nagpal is likely to be won
over to the side of the UPA, said a senior SP leader.
The SP Parliamentary Board meeting also took stock of the attempt of Ms
Mayawati to rally the Muslims behind her on the nuclear deal issue. "She will
not succeed in her efforts as Muslims in the state know of her past relations
with the BJP and its leader L.K. Advani.