State Gazette

The BJP has impressed upon Mayawati that if the alliance soured, the SP boss would be the main gainer. All this becomes more intriguing as the court deadline (September 23) nears for filing a reworked petition on Ayodhya (the last writ had been thrown out). Mayawati has promised a decision that wouldn’t annoy "any section".

Mulayam is certain to exploit Advani’s presence at the rally so close to the date. No wonder Mayawati is trying to pre-empt any loss of face. In a hard-hitting statement, she has questioned the SP’s attitude towards Muslims: "Mulayam Singh has nominated Sakshi Maharaj to the Rajya Sabha and has teamed up with Kalyan Singh, one of the main architects of the Babri Masjid demolition."

She has also asked her party workers to work closely with the BJP to improve the government’s image in the state—a complete turn-around, considering that her favourite pastime earlier had been to continually lambast her principal ally. There’s no telling what fear of losing one’s chair can do, especially in slippery UP.