PUNE: Federal Energy Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said yesterday that the withdrawal of support by the Bahujan Samaj party would not affect the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in any way. The UPA government will complete its five-year term, Shinde said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP leader Mayawati on Saturday announced that her party was withdrawing support for the UPA government.
In another development, Sharad Pawar, Nationalist Congress Party leader and federal minister for agriculture, said here on Saturday that the imbroglio between the UPA government and left parties over the nuclear deal with the Untied States would be resolved soon and that the UPA government would complete its term.
Pawar's statement is significant given the threat the UPA government in Delhi is facing. Pawar described his meeting with Communist Party (Marxist) leader Prakash Karat on Friday as satisfactory. He later met External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee. Refusing to give details, Pawar said, "I discussed with Karat the concerns left parties have about the nuclear deal."
Referring to the bickering at a Congress rally in Mumbai on Thursday, Pawar said, "A few days back Congress leaders preached NCP about the culture of Congress. We saw their culture in Mumbai. I have asked our cadre to avoid such culture."
On Congress state president Prabha Rau's remarks about snapping ties with NCP, Pawar said, "When we meet in New Delhi, we discuss how to fight polls together. I don't know if Rau has more powers than party president Sonia Gandhi."
