The Samajwadi Party will continue giving “critical support” to the United Progressive Alliance government for its remaining four-year tenure at the Centre, but its leadership is disappointed by the government's functioning primarily due to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's alleged inability to “prevail over his erring Cabinet Ministers.”
Addressing a press conference after the first day's deliberations at the party's three-day national executive meeting here on Friday, party spokesman Mohan Singh said Dr. Singh's silence on recent incidents involving his Cabinet Ministers was sending wrong signals to people.
“We have no problem with the UPA government finishing its five-year term. But, there is a feeling among people that no government exists at the Centre as the Prime Minister cannot prevail over his Ministers,” he said.
On Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, Mr. Mohan Singh said: “While some of the Ministers remark negatively about the functioning of another Ministry, the Railway Minister stays out of New Delhi most of the time, preferring to put the blame on people in case of any accident. But there is still no reaction from the Prime Minister.” He, however, denied reports that the SP had requested the UPA government, or was requested by the latter, to join the government.
Price rise
Expressing the party's dissatisfaction over the Centre's “inefficient approach” towards checking the spiralling prices, Mr. Mohan Singh said the Centre was unable to introduce the Food Security Bill in Parliament even after a year of it being in power.
The SP criticised the Centre's policies on internal security, referring to the Maoist problem and the unrest brewing in Manipur.
Saying that the “pro-capitalist policies” of the Centre had led to the increasing domination and influence of the Maoists on a section of the population, Mr. Mohan Singh emphasised that initiating talks and development projects in the backward areas were the only options to curb the problem.
