The Maya Matrix

The seemingly contradictory positions were reflective of the dilemma Mayawati finds herself in,mindful that the Congress is her main enemy in the state but as conscious of the fact that siding with the Opposition against the UPA doesnt gain her anything much. On the contrary,bailing the government out,while keeping her distance,could translate into gestures like the Attorney General telling the Supreme Court on behalf of the CBI that it was ready to reconsider her plea for the closure of the disproportionate assets case against her.

While the BSP chief vehemently denied at the press conference on Tuesday that the legal cases had anything to do with her decision on cut motions,a chargesheet in the case has been weighing heavily on her.

Two days before the CBIs submission in the apex court on Friday,a BSP MP told The Indian Express: We are a part of the government. Behenji has given a letter of support to the UPA to prevent the communal forces from coming to power and will continue to do so.

Even MPs in Delhi who were unsure about their actual move during the cut motions vote in favour or remain absent and waited for a final order from Lucknow,were certain that the party would not let the Finance Bill fall through.

Mayawati said at her press briefing that she didnt want to vote for the cut motions and allow communal forces to win. This,at least,could be a straightforward argument as the BSP fears losing the Muslim vote to an already resurgent Congress. Thats why she made it a point to emphasise at the press conference that it was the NDA government that had got her implicated in the Taj Corridor case,besides having the disproportionate assets case lodged against her,and not the UPA. According to a source in the BSP,she wanted to send out the message that she is also a victim of the NDA government.

The clever tactician that she is,Mayawati kept the UPA hanging till the last minute,after having first set the cat among the pigeons with Leader of the BSP Parliamentary Party Dara Singh Chauhan telling The Indian Express that the party would not let the government fall. As arch-rivals Samajwadi Party and RJD scurried to rethink their positions,indicating that they may not join voting over the cut motions,and the government looked safe,Mayawati revealed her hand.

And thus Tuesdays press meet,which coincided with the debate in the Lok Sabha. She first got sure about the survival of the UPA despite the cut motions on Budget proposals like prices of fuels and fertilisers. Then she took a decision to vote for the UPA instead of directing her MPs to abstain from voting, a bureaucrat close to her said.

When the government is not going to fall,what is the harm in supporting it? a BSP leader said.

By becoming the first to come to the UPAs rescue,she also forestalled any chance of the SP doing the same. Any closing of distance between the Congress and SP can prove suicidal for the BSP in UP.

Others are not surprised that Mayawati refused to be part of the 13-party grouping forged by the Opposition to take on the government. Observers note that earlier too the BSP chief,who sees herself in the league of the countrys top national leaders and has never hidden prime ministerial hopes,hasnt subsumed her identity to that of either the Left or BJP. With BSP workers referring to their party as the third national party after the Congress and BJP,says a source in the party,there was little chance of it playing second fiddle during a protest in Parliament.

However,Mayawati may find her stand hard to explain in the state,where she has been at loggerheads with the Congress. The BSP has done all it can to spoil the Congresss much-hyped 10-yatra programme,launched by Rahul Gandhi. Earlier,the party announced a nation-wide protest against the present shape of the Womens Reservation Bill,piloted by the Congress. From May 22 onwards,the BSP will hold demonstrations against the Bill and other issues in every Assembly constituency.

By supporting the UPA,we become bound to support its policies. We cannot take a strong stand in Parliament against the government on many issues, an MP told The Indian Express. We must spell out clearly what exactly we mean by outside support.

As 20 of the BSPs 21 MPs belong to UP,this dichotomy is even more stark for the party. If we had MPs from other states too,the policy of support at the Centre and opposition in states could have been evened out. How can we support those men Rahul Gandhi here,whom we are so critical of back home? said another MP.

UP BSP president Swami Prasad Maurya,himself,refused to say anything besides: I dont know about it. Please ask our parliamentary leaders in Delhi.