The government put the lid on the Mayawati tapes controversy by declining to make a statement in Parliament, as originally planned.
The focus has thus shifted to Lucknow Assembly which promises to discuss the Mayawati tapes long and hard at a date to be decided by the business advisory committee of the House.
Originally to be discussed to morrow, the no-confidence motion was adjourned indefinitely following a voice vote.However, this does not mean that the controversy has ended.
However, the UP Legislative Council witnessed pandemonium causing frequent adjournments over the controversy for a second day today with a determined Opposition demanding that Mayawati appear in the House in person to make a statement on the issue.
The Opposition said the statement of the chief minister as shown in the video cassette was a serious matter and demanded that she make a statement before the House.
Opposition members belonging to the Samajwadi Party and the Congress objected to May-awati making a statement to the media yesterday when the House was in session, maintaining that it was against the parliamentary practices.
Ram Saran Das (Samajwadi Party)took offence at Mayawati's reported statement that the Samajwadi Party would have to pay dearly for levelling charges of corruption against her.
Das, after a verbal duel with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) members who raised slogans against Mulayam Singh Yadav, trooped into the Well of the House along with his colleagues leading to frequent adjournment which lasted for over one hour.
In the Lok Sabha, the issue was raised for the second day today with Mayawati writing a letter to the Centre.
The government refused to either table it or divulge the contents and requested the Speaker to take a view on it, causing disturbances in the House.
As Samajwadi Party members were on their feet during Zero Hour protesting against Maya-wati's reported statement that MPs and legislators should contribute their
