If the failure to dislodge the Manmohan Singh Government during Tuesday’s trust vote caused any disappointment to BSP chief Mayawati, she did not betray it on Wednesday. Addressing a press conference here, she continued to flaunt her national ambition by agreeing to co-operate with nine other parties to launch a campaign against the Government.

“The UPA Government may have won the vote in the Lok Sabha yesterday, but has lost the trust of the nation due to the immoral manner in which it engineered its win,” said the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister after a meeting of Left parties, the RLD, the BSP and UNPA units minus the Samajwadi Party and the AGP.

Hogging the limelight — flanked by former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, former prime minister Deve Gowda and Left leaders — Mayawati exuded confidence “condemning” the manner of the Government’s victory, requesting CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat to read out a resolution passed in the meeting.

While leaders present at the meeting decribed the group as an alternative to the UPA and NDA, they failed to announce a formal front or elect a leader. Instead they decided to launch a nationwaide campaign to begin the work.

“All parties present decided to launch a joint national-level campaign on pressing issues before the people,” Karat said, adding that the resolution had decided to focus against “price rise, agrarian distress, Indo-US nuclear deal, communal forces and gross misuse of Government institutions like the CBI for political purposes”.

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