Akhilesh Singh, who led seven MLAs out of the Congress to form the ABCD (Akhil Bharatiya Congress Dal) and prop up Chief Minister Mayawati, was a terribly lonely man today.Mayawati left him in the cold after he said she should not take their support for granted. And then, to prove her point, she welcomed the remaining three of the seven legislators into the BSP fold, topping it by naming them all ministers.To add insult to injury, Akhilesh’s house in Rae Bareilly was searched by police in connection with a criminal case. Details were not available but police sources confirmed the search was conducted by Crime Branch sleuths.Earlier, expanding her government again this evening, Mayawati made it clear she had no room for Akhilesh. ‘‘He was willing to join but I didn’t want him. The BSP will induct faces as per its suitability,’’ she told reporters after the swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhavan.Many felt she was dabbling afresh in caste politics, wooing Brahmins — she elevated a minister of state to Cabinet rank today — and shutting out Thakurs who are already incensed over the manner she has gone after Kunda legislator Raghuraj Pratap Singh a.k.a Raja Bhaiyya. Akhilesh too is a Thakur.The last of the breakaway seven — Rajpal Tyagi, Dinesh Singh and Vinod Kumar Yadav — met Speaker Kesari Nath Tripathi and handed over a letter, saying their outfit had merged with the BSP. ‘‘We decided to be with the BSP to ensure stability in the coalition. And there are chances that more from the Congress will follow,’’ Tyagi claimed.The Speaker, on his part, saw nothing wrong in the merger. ‘‘I have approved the merger. As for Akhilesh Singh, he can decide between joining the BSP and seeking status as a separate group,’’ Tripathi said. Akhilesh found himself in a spot. ‘‘I have not joined the BSP but am extending outside support to Mayawati,’’ was all he could say. A jubilant Mayawati said the doors were still open for legislators to join her party and become ministers. ‘‘A number of Congress MLAs are eager to switch loyalty in favour of the BSP,’’ she claimed, indicating that political poaching would continue until she was satisfied she had the requisite numbers to take the floor test in the Assembly next month.‘‘The BSP-BJP coalition under my leadership has absolute majority. The entry of seven more legislators has strengthened the government further. I will take the right decision at the right time,’’ she said, responding to a query on whether she planned another expansion in the near future. The BSP’s strength in the House has now risen to 106.With Mayawati going for a massive reshuffle of her quota of ministers, there’s pressure now on the state BJP to conduct a similar exercise. Although Urban Development minister Lalji Tandon has promised such an exercise soon, very few are taking him seriously. ‘‘This is just a ploy to keep the legislature wing intact before the trial of strength in the House,’’ summed up a senior BJP leader. — (with Agencies)
