Akhilesh may face Opp. heat

Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav’s repeated criticism of son Akhilesh Yadav’s government has put the Opposition in Uttar Pradesh in a belligerent mood. The Akhilesh Yadav government can now expect trouble from an emboldened and aggressive Opposition when the Budget Session of the state legislature begins here on Thursday. “There is no doubt that Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav has made things easier for the Opposition. If, as the head of the ruling party, he finds the government faltering on many scores, we have every right to mount a blistering attack on the government for its failures. Akhilesh Yadav’s grace period is over and we will grill him on issues like mismanagement of Kumbh Mela, cane farmers’ woes, poor law and order situation and misdeeds of ministers,” said Mr Hukum Singh, leader of the BJP legislature party. Leader of Opposition Swami Prasad Maurya, on the other hand, said that the Samajwadi government lay fully exposed before the people. “Whatever they do is thwarted by their own people and the chief minister looks completely helpless in the prevailing state of affairs. Law and order has touched its nadir and development has ground to a halt. We will definitely demand an explanation on these issues form the government in the Budget Session,” he said. The Congress, on the other hand, remains somewhat undecided about its posture. “We have not received any indication from the party high command about our relationship with Samajwadi Party whose support the party will need in the Budget Session at the Centre. We will probably raise issues but in a soft manner,” said a senior Congress MLA. The Opposition parties in the state see the Budget Session as an opportunity to consolidate the anti-establishment vote in their favour. “This will be probably the last public platform that we will get to place our views before the people because general elections could be held anytime after the Budget Session at the Centre. We will utilise this to present our case and also position ourselves as the only party that can stand up against the Samajwadi Party,” said a senior BSP MLA.