After Mayawati's 'warning', Congress govt to recommend withdrawal of Bharat bandh cases

Bhopal, Jan 1: A day after Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati threatened to "reconsider" her outside support to the Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan governments if cases against "innocents" framed in Bharat Bandh were not withdrawn, the Kamal Nath government said it would recommend the same.

Sharma said that this would mean MP government will be withdrawing cases not only against workers belonging to its political fairweather friends but several farmers and government employees.

BSP chief Mayawati - who bailed out the Congress after it fell a whisker short of majority in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh on Monday set a condition to keep the party in line.

Mayawati said she would "reconsider" her support if the cases filed in the two states against the "innocent" during April's all-India strike by Scheduled Castes are not withdrawn. The Congress, she said, should not work like the BJP, which did not keep its promises.

"The warning to the Congress is necessary, as now merely making announcements is not enough. People are of the view that in making promises on papers, the Congress and the BJP are two sides of the same coin. Now, it depends on the Congress whether it is able to change this perception," she said.

Mayawati had said the cases against the innocent people were framed out of political and caste considerations in Uttar Pradesh and other states including MP and Rajasthan, which were previously under the BJP. She said now that MP and Rajasthan are ruled by the Congress, the new governments should immediately withdraw such cases, failing which her party would have to reconsider its decision of extending outside support.

The Congress had supported the April protests - against the changes to the law meant protect Scheduled Castes and Tribes - that saw widespread violence in parts of north India.