The Centre yesterday decided to reverse its decision to impose Central rule in Uttar Pradesh after President K R Narayanan asked the Cabinet to reconsider the decision taken on Tuesday night.
It is the first time that a President has returned a file on imposition of Central rule.
Defence minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, who had threatened to take his Samajwadi Party out of the ruling United Front (UF), walked out of yesterdays cabinet meeting that decided to reverse the decision on imposing Central rule.
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Congress president Sitaram Kesri, too, had threatened to withdraw his partys support to the UF government if Presidents rule was not imposed.
But Yadav was isolated in the cabinet after regional constituents, spearheaded by UF convenor N Chandrababu Naidu and the CPI, forced the reversal.
A leader close to Yadav indicated that the defence minister would not leave UF but would align more with Kesri now. A Congress leader added that Kesris threat, too, did not withstand opposition by other leaders in the party.
Attorney-general Ashok V Desai told the cabinet he would not be able to defend the decision in court. So most Front leaders argued that the United Front would have no political fig leaf when the courts overturned the decision. It was better to try and persuade Yadav to remain on board than to expose other constituents to political damage, they argued.
Industry minister Murasoli Maran initiated the plea to reverse the previous days decision, saying he had spent a sleepless night over the mistake. Incidentally, his party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, has demanded that the provision for the imposition of Central rule be scrapped.
On Tuesday night, many UF constituents had agreed to go along with Yadavs insistence despite their opposition, after Yadav broke down in tears, saying the rest would have to back him on this.
A compromise option was mooted yesterday, to dismiss the Kalyan Singh government but keep the assembly in suspended animation until Parliament appro-ved the dismissal, perhaps at a special session. But Kesri and Yadav insisted that the previous nights decision be sent back to the President.