Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Saturday threatened to withdraw support to India's coalition government if it failed to sanction a special relief package for the drought-hit Bundelkhand region in four months.

"I will give my letter of withdrawal of support to UPA (United Progressive Alliance) chairperson (Sonia Gandhi) if the central government does not sanction a Rs.80,000 crore relief package for Bundelkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh in four months," Mayawati told a press conference here.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader spoke a day after Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi staged a demonstration in front of the office of Jhansi's divisional commissioner while airing the grievances of the poor.

The BSP, which has 15 MPs in the Lok Sabha, gives legislative backing to the UPA government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi, Mayawati said: "Rahul Gandhi should stop this drama. If he is so concerned about the plight of farmers, he should first mount pressure on the central government to bring down (food) prices.

"The UPA government can fall any time because of price rise," she pointed out. Mayawati and Rahul Gandhi have been locked in a war of words ever since the Congress MP started speaking out against the state government while touring the state.

Referring to the BSP's victory in two Lok Sabha and three assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, she said: "Our elephant (BSP symbol) has trampled all of them - the Samajwadi Party, Congress and BJP.

"The Congress is now trying to heal its wounds by issuing baseless statements," said Mayawati.

 

Source : IANS