Even as two more members raised the banner of revolt, the Samajwadi Party on Sunday claimed there were no cracks in the party and took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Left parties by accusing them of joining hands and strengthening the Bahujan Samaj Party.
"The two Lals (Advani and the Left parties) have joined hands and are strengthening the haathi (elephant)," SP leader Amar Singh told media-persons after attending a meeting of the United Progressive Alliance held at External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's residence in Delhi.
The Left parties, along with smaller parties like the Telugu Desam Party and the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti, have stated that BSP leader Mayawati could become the prime minister. Advani had also sought to reach out to Mayawati.
The SP suffered a jolt when its general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Shahid Siddiqui quit the party and announced his decision to join rival BSP.
Another Samajwadi Party lawmaker SP Singh Baghel from Jalesar also announced that he would vote against the UPA. But an apparently unruffled Amar Singh maintained there were no cracks in the party and that Siddiqui's decision to quit the party will have no impact on the trust vote as he was a member of the Upper House.
The meeting at Mukherjee's residence was attended by SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, Union Ministers Lalu Prasad Yadav, Ram Vilas Paswan, Oscar Fernandes, T R Baalu and other leaders of the UPA.
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