UP political battle taken to the President

The political battle in Uttar Pradesh was taken to the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday as rival sides opposing and proposing imposition of President's Rule in the wake of Supreme Court judgment on the disqualification of 13 BSP MLAs met A P J Abdul Kalam to plead for their case.

While a Samajwadi Party delegation called on Kalam seeking the recall of state Governor T V Rajeshwar accusing him of acting in a partisan manner, Jan Morcha leader V P Singh also met the President demanding dismissal of the Mulayam Singh Yadav government.

After a 30-minute meeting, SP leader Amar Singh told reporters that they have submitted two memoranda to Kalam seeking withdrawal of the state governor for his "failure" to take state government into confidence on taking decisions about state and thus "polluting the political atmosphere".

He said the Governor should be recalled as his continuance would "not help run the administration in an impartial manner". The party delegation also apprised the President about the Governor's "reluctance" to transfer one of his officials serving in the Governor office for 13 years in spite of a court's directive for his transfer.

V P Singh said they apprised the President that a peculiar situation has arisen for the first time following the Supreme Court's decision to disqualify the 13 BSP MLAs. "We suggested that in order to keep the honour of the apex court, this government must go". Describing Mulayam government not as "a chuni hui but churai hui" (not an elected but an illegal) government, the former prime minister said it should not be allowed to prove its majority on February 26.