Lucknow: In a show of strength after being jolted by desertion in its ranks in the wake of the Allahabad High Court verdict on rebel Bahujan Samaj Party SP MLAs, Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party on Thursday paraded 29 ministers, who along with 13 others had defected in 2003, before the media and sought disqualification of those who quit its fold.
On the other hand, BSP supremo Mayawati, upping the ante against Mualayam Singh Yadav government, met Governor TV Rajeshwar and demanded its dismissal following the high court order derecognising the split in her party.
The 29 ministers, who are among the 40 BSP MLAs who had quit the party and later joined SP, were presented before the media by SP state general secretary and PWD Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav at the Chief Minister's official residence in Lucknow.
Two of the 40 MLAs who joined SP in 2003 were disqualified by the court earlier while five including two ministers met the Uttar Pradesh Governor and returned to the parent party.
SS Yadav claimed all the remaining 33 BSP rebel MLAs were with the government.
Asked about the absence of 4 MLAs, he said three ministers Nawab Kazim Ali, Kutubuddin Ansari and Virendra Bundela could not make it owing to personal commitments while Amar Mani Tripathi was currently in jail.
Using carrot and stick in its strategy, Yadav claimed SP was in touch with the five breakaway MLAs, who had met the Governor and returned to BSP, and was pursuading them to come back and warned action under the anti-defection law could be taken against those leaving SP.
The SP also petitioned Assembly Speaker seeking disqualification of the five BSP rebel MLAs, Deputy Leader in the Assembly Ambika Chaudhary said.
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