New Delhi, March 20 : With the DMK pulling out of the UPA government, the major party supporting the Manmohan Singh government from outside -- Samajwadi Party -- today began to act tough over a remark made by Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma, and brought both Houses of Parliament to a standstill.
Beni Prasad Verma had while making a speech in his constituency had remarked that the Congress had given Mulayam Singh money for his support. "Mulayam Singh will spend money for his family or hoard it outside India, but Beni Prasad will never do such a thing", Verma had said.
An incensed Mulayam Singh Yadav, who had extracted a regret from Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath two days ago over another remark from Beni describing Mulayam as "a lootera and aatankwadi" (looter and terrorist), today directed his MPs to stall both Houses of Parliament.
The UPA government, which has already lost majority on his own inside Lok Sabha, and is dependent on outside support from two UP parties - SP and BSP - immediately went into a firefighting mode.
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi met Mulayam Singh and told him that it was "Beni's personal opinion and the Congress party had nothing to do with it". Not yet mollified, Mulayam met the Prime Minister, minutes after Beni Prasad Verma met the PM and expressed regret "if I have hurt somebody".
Coming out, Mulayam Singh Yadav said, he would discuss the issue with his Parliamentary Party and a decision will be taken on Thursday morning.
One of the puzzling pointers that came up in course of the fast developing political scenario was that, SP spokesperson and Mulayam's relative Ram Gopal Yadav praised former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee for "at least listening to his allies", even as Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj told the Lok Sabha that the remarks against a "senior leader" like Mulayam Singh was condemnable and should be referred to the Privileges Committee.
On a parallel tangent, five DMK ministers met the Prime Minister and submitted their resignations, several hours after their leader T. R. Baalu went to Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday night and handed over the letter of withdrawal of support to President Pranab Mukherjee.
Three DMK ministers - Jagatarakshakan, Gandhiselvan, and Palamaniackam - tendered their resignations first to the PM. Minutes later, Karunanidhi's on M K Azhagiri and Napoleon walked in with their resignation letters.
The Samajwadi Party is demanding the dismissal of Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma for his remarks against Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Mulayam Singh Yadav said he would now ask the government "how much money it paid to the SP for its support".
Samajwadi Party's main spokesperson and Mulayam Singh Yadav's relative, Ram Gopal Yadav chided the Congress for behaving as if it has a majority of its own.
"This party (Congress) never listens to its allies. This government has become a lameduck one", said Ram Gopal Yadav.
He went to the extent of praising former BJP prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who as head of the NDA, used to listen to grievances of his allies.
Ram Gopal Yadav said, "first the Trinamool Congress and now the DMK have pulled out of the UPA. It's now up to the BJP to go to the President and demand that the UPA government should prove its majority on the floor of the house".
Yadav said, no party is willing "to carry the burden of Congress, because this government has already become unpopular because of scams and pricerise".
