Trinamool pullout increases Congress dependence on SP, BSP

New Delhi: The Trinamool Congress' decision on Tuesday to withdraw support to the UPA government has made it vulnerable and more dependent on outside supporters Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) for survival, said Congress sources.

Though Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee had been an mercurial ally, the Congress was apparently more comfortable in dealing with her than with SP and BSP, which are its electoral adversaries in Uttar Pradesh.

The party is likely to make more efforts now to keep SP and BSP on its side, said the sources.

The Congress was apparently more comfortable in dealing with Mamata than with SP and BSP, which are its electoral adversaries in Uttar Pradesh.

The SP has 22 MPs and BSP 21 MPs in the Lok Sabha and support of two parties would make up for Banerjee pulling out support of her 19 MPs to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

The SP has however joined hands with the Left on issues of diesel price hike and FDI in multi-brand retail and will join the protest Sep 20.

It also criticised the Congress-led government after Trinamool's decision, with party leader Ram Gopal Yadav said the UPA's way of working was not right and the Congress was behaving as if it had two-thirds majority.

However, he indicated his party's decision on continuing support to the government will not be influenced by Trinamool's step.

The Congress has shared "on and off" relationship with SP and BSP with which it fought a bitter electoral contest in Uttar Pradesh earlier this year.

The two parties have bailed out the government in tricky situations. The SP also came forward to support the UPA-I government when the Left withdrew support over the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Mayawati has spoken out against the subsidy cut in LPG and diesel price hike but has given the Congress time till the second week of October when she would decide on their course of action.

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