BJP appeals to PM to step down and order fresh polls
15 Jul 2008, 1257 Hrs

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Bhopal/Kolkata/Allahabad, July 15 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has asked Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to resign and order fresh polls.

"If there is government and no governance, then there is no need to tell you about the loss the country would have. That's why, I appeal to the Prime Minister that keeping the nation's interest in mind, he should resign from his post and prepare for new mandate," said Rajnath Singh, chief of BJP said after addressing a public rally.

Though Samajwadi Party (SP) has lent its support to the government the Prime Minister is looking for support from other small parties to ensure that his ruling coalition survives and an early election is avoided.

Prime Minister Dr. Singh's government has begun the hard task of cobbling together votes to survive a no-confidence motion on July 22.

Meanwhile, a communist leader from West Bengal came out against any possible alignment with the BJP to bring down the government.

"I cannot be happy, if circumstances lead to such a position that the CPI (M) and the BJP, coming together, take a decision to fight and to drop down the UPA government, or any government at any point of time," said Subhas Chakrabarty, Transport and Sports Minister, West Bengal.

A lawmaker of the SP that has pledged support to the government criticised his party's move.

"The question is not of America, question is of our foreign policy. On the foreign policy, I will just say that our Central Government is going against our foreign policy," said Atiq Ahmed, a SP lawmaker.

The government on Wednesday forwarded the safeguards draft text to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and also simultaneously released its contents on the website. India still needs the approval of IAEA governors, then the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, where there are reservations because India is outside the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and finally ratification by the U.S. Congress. (ANI)