Bharat Bandh: BSP, RJD, LJP, RLD non-committal on support

Reasons vary from not wanting to seen with political opponents to being covert allies of the UPA

PTI | July 1, 2010



The July 5 'Bharat Bandh' to protest fuel price hike is unlikely to get the support of all non-Congress non-UPA parties with BSP, RJD, LJP and RLD so far maintaining a silence on which side of the political divide they are.

In view of the political contradictions, the ruling BSP in Uttar Pradesh is unlikely to join the bandh, while in Bihar, the RJD-LJP could stay out as the ruling NDA in the state supporting the bandh.

Sources in the opposition camp, who are coordinating the protest programme, said that the possibility of participation of BSP is unlikely because Samajwadi Party would not like to be seen together with it in Uttar Pradesh on the same issue.

BSP had bailed out the Central government during the opposition-sponsored cut motion in the budget session of Parliament.

In Bihar, RJD-LJP is also not enthused to the idea of joining hands with BJP and JDU as the combine does not want to be seen on the same page with the ruling alliance.

"We have already declared a separate bandh programme in the state on July 10," said LJP secretary general Abdul Khaliq.

RJD had also helped the UPA defeat the opposition cut motion by staging a walk out from Lok Sabha then. Both RJD and BSP are supporting the government from outside.

While SP is supporting the government from outside, it has decided to join the opposition sponsored 'Bharat Bandh' apparently due to the political dynamics of Uttar Pradesh, where a revived Congress is striving to come to power in the 2012 elections.

The party today claimed that the hike in fuel prices has brought "warmth" in opposition ties like the one before the imposition of Emergency in the 70s.

"If the government continues to follow anti-people policies, the opposition may unite once again," SP spokesperson Mohan Singh said noting that "a full-fledged opposition unity is still a far cry."

Ajit Singh's RLD has also not revealed its cards so far but the party has been supportive of the Congress in Rajya Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh last month paving the way for the victory of former Union Minister Satish Sharma, a known loyalist of the Gandhi family.

There had also been speculation that the party was trying to strike a deal with the Congress ahead of the UP assembly election.

 

Comments

 

Other News

Voter turnout: Drop from 2019 reduces further

As the voting percentages dropped drastically in the first couple of phases of the ongoing general elections, observers and analysts spoke of ‘voter apathy’ blamed it on a lack of “wave” this time – apart from the heatwave, that is. The latest figures after the fourth phase, h

GAIL reports annual revenue of Rs.1,30,638 crore

GAIL (INDIA) Limited has reported 75% increase in Profit before Tax (PBT) of Rs.11,555 crore in FY24,  as against Rs 6,584 Cr in FY23. Profit after Tax (PAT) in FY24 stands at Rs. 8,836 Cr as against Rs.5,302 Cr in FY23, a 67 % increase. However, revenue from operations registered a fa

Women move forward, one step at a time

“Women’s rights are not a privilege but a fundamental aspect of human rights.” —Savitribai Phule In India, where almost two-thirds of the population resides in rural areas, women’s empowerment initiatives are extremely critical for intensifying l

Why you should vote

What are the direct tangible benefits that you want from the government coming in power? The manifestos of various parties set a host of agendas which many times falls back in materialising the intended gains. Governance failures, policy lapses, implementation gaps, leadership crisis and cultural blockages

How the role of Ayurveda evolved pre- and post-independence

Ayurveda, Nation and Society: United Provinces, c. 1890–1950 By Saurav Kumar Rai Orient BlackSwan, 292 pages, Rs 1,400  

General Elections: Phase 4 voting on in 96 seats

As many as 17.7 crore electors are eligible to vote in the fourth phase of general elections taking place on Monday in 10 states/UTs. 175 Legislative Assembly seats of Andhra Pradesh and 28 Legislative Assembly seats of Odisha are also going to polls in this phase. Polling time in select as

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter