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Journalism of Courage
Mayawati has political parties for breakfast these days. On Tuesday, she inducted the sole MLA of D P Yadav8217;s Rashtriya Parivartan Dal into BSP and made him a minister.
With Mehboob Ali8217;s entry, BSP8217;s strength rises to 107 while Dal becomes extinct in the House. This is the second party that BSP has swallowed in as many weeks 8212; last week, she made seven MLAs of the breakaway Congress group ministers and finished off that party.
The three-member Apna Dal and a few single-member outfits are easy targets for poaching. The Chief Minister wants to ensure that nothing should be left to chance when a unified opposition has announced a no-confidence motion against her government during the Budget session of the Assembly.
8216;8216;With the recent reshuffles the coalition has been fortified,8217;8217; said BJP leader and senior minister Lalji Tandon who along with Om Prakash Singh and Prem Lata Katiyar, both cabinet ministers, were present at the five-minute ceremony.
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee who was in Kanpur on a personal visit, it is believed, has sent a strong signal to the BJP not to antagonise Mayawati. Vajpayee apparently snubbed state party chief Vinay Katiyar 8212; who has been making strong statements against the her 8212; when he asked him, 8216;8216;What is new today?8217;8217;
The immediate reaction to the PM8217;s signals were evident today. While Tandon and Singh did not attend the swearing-in last week, they made it a point to attend today8217;s function.
When The Indian Express asked Katiyar about his proposed meeting with Advani on the Mayawati issue, he said: 8216;8216;I am going to New Delhi tomorrow but have got no invitation for a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani so far.8217;8217;
