UPA breaks Oppn's unity, wins cut motions

New Delhi: The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government defeated the Opposition's cut motions comfortably as Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati did a U-turn and supported the Manmohan Singh Government. The Government was also helped by Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal and Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party abstaining from the Lok Sabha.

The UPA broke the Opposition's unity over the cut motion and had a smooth sailing in the Lok Sabha after 21 BSP MPs put their weight behind the Government. The victory was nothing short of a political coup for the Congress.

The final division was 289 against the cut motion to the Opposition's 201 for the motion. But it was not so much the numbers, but Mayawati's turnaround that was the talking point.

Mayawati ensured that the Opposition which was ostensibly united till Monday was a house bitterly divided on Tuesday with the BSP going to the extent of supporting the Government.

"To keep the communal forces at bay we will vote for the UPA on the cut motion," Mayawati had announced in Lucknow

Lalu and Mulayam added a political twist by trying to distance from themselves from the BJP.

"If the CPI-M decides not to take BJP's support in its cut motion, we will go with them," Lalu said in the Lok Sabha before walking out.

Mayawati's U-turn was the biggest setback for the Opposition, but with the CBI breathing down her neck, it was an opportunity that the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister could not have missed. But for the BJP, the adverse turn of events made the party cry foul

"The CBI is being used as the political arm of the Government to bail it out," BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Arun Jaitley alleged.

This is how the numbers were stacked in Parliament: With the BSP's support the UPA's tally reached 289, while the Opposition is way behind at 201 as RJD and SP walked out.

The saying in politics is that there are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies. For the UPA Government which was facing an awkward situation till Monday on the cut motion issue, clearly, Tuesday's developments have once again ratified the old adage.

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