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New Delhi, Sep 19 (PTI): The top Congress leadership got into a huddle to finalise its strategy in the wake of the Trinamool Congress deciding to withdraw its support to the United Progressive Alliance on Wednesday.
Samajwadi Party, another key ally, will meet here on Thursday to decide its stand.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi drove to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s residence, is said to have discussed the threat to the government caused by Trinamool's decision
Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Defence Minister A K Antony and Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel were also present at the meeting. Earlier in the day, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia had a meeting with the Prime Minister.
Trinamool,the second largest constituent of UPA with 19 MPs decided to withdraw support to the government and pull out its ministers opposing the decision to hike diesel price, cap supply of subsidised LPG cylinders and allow Foreign direct investment in multi brand retail.
It has set a deadline of Friday afternoon to reconsider its stand if the government rolls back its decisions.
Meanwhile, Mulayam Singh Yadav, leader Samajwadi Party and its 22 MPs, whose support for the government assumes importance in the current context, expressed opposition to Government's decisions but declined to reveal the party strategy.
“Tomorrow there is a meeting of the Samajwadi Party's Parliamentary Board. We will decide our strategy there,” he told reporters here.
The SP chief said his party would go ahead with its plans to hold demonstrations to oppose the price hike. “There will be opposition in Uttar Pradesh and the entire country.The demonstrations in support of people's issue will happen,” Yadav said.
He criticised the Government saying that its policies have added to the burden of the common man.
“We want that wisdom should dawn upon the Government. What have you (the government) given to the people apart from inflation and corruption. There is so much burden on the common man, so much burden on the farmers,” Yadav added.
“This obstinate attitude will only weaken it. Due to this attitude, the Congress party will become very weak,” he said.
Following Trinamool's decision, the strength of UPA in the Lok Sabha has come down from 273 to 254, which is 19 short of the half-way mark of 273 in the Lok Sabha. However, with the support of outside allies SP (22), BSP (21), RJD (4) and JD-S (3), its strength goes upto 304 in a House of 545.
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