Why Maya and Mulayam chose to help centre

A heavy political loss in state elections for BSP supremo Mayawati, along with pending CBI cases, and the need of the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh for friendly relations with the Centre appear to have landed the Congress-led UPA government the solid support of the two arch-rivals. The UPA government, for its part, lost no time in soliciting the UP government. The Planning Commission approved an all-time high `57,000 crores annual plan for the state. The Centre even cancelled Kolkata as the venue of an investors’ meet and chose Agra in UP for the January meet. The UPA government has also kept BSP supremo Mayawati in good humour, as she has been allowed to take her car up to the tarmac at airports, along with the transfer of 15 acres of prime land in Mumbai to set up a statue of Dr B.R. Ambedkar. The Congress-led UPA government has also committed to her demand for a constitutional amendment to allow a quota in job promotions for SC/STs. The Union Cabinet has approved a proposal and the matter is listed in the business agenda of Parliament.