New Delhi: Slain gangster-cum-politician Atiq Ahmed did not “save” the Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government during the 2008 trust vote, as claimed in a book. Bahubali of Indian Politics: From Bullet to BallotWritten by Rajesh Singh.
It was widely cited in media reports after Atiq and his brother were shot dead by three assailants in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj on Saturday.
Lok Sabha records show that Ahmed, the then Samajwadi Party (SP) MP from Phulpur, voted against the confidence motion, defying his party whip. He was also expelled from the SP along with five other MPs for going against the party’s instructions.
The other expelled MPs were Afzal Ansari, Rajnarayan Budholiya, Jai Prakash, SP Singh Baghel and Munawwar Hassan.
Singh’s book falsely claims that Atiq Ahmed “saved” the UPA government. “The government sent six of the country’s most prominent suspected lawbreakers on leave – collectively facing more than 100 counts of kidnapping, murder, extortion, arson and more – so they could continue as lawmakers. able to fulfill their constitutional duties. One of them was Ateeq Ahmed….” said the book published by Rupa Publications.
He said, “Atiq Ahmed… dutifully cast his precious vote, no doubt in favor of the beleaguered UPA. By then the don had established himself in both politics and crime.
According to Lok Sabha records, Ahmed along with 255 other opposition MPs voted against the UPA. UPA won the trust vote by 19 votes. It received 275 votes against the opposition’s 256, with 10 members abstaining.
what happened in 2008
On July 22, 2008, the ruling UPA coalition government with 60 MPs conducted a dramatic trust vote in the Lok Sabha after the Left Front withdrew support following the Indo-US nuclear deal.
The US and India signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement in 2006 following a July 2005 summit in the US, which was attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
When the government announced plans to meet the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Left Front, which had been opposing the nuclear deal citing national interests, withdrew support.
On the website of the Lok Sabha, Ahmed is included in the list of those who voted against the motion of confidence.
(Editing by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
Read also: Why police think Atiq Ahmed was after Umesh Pal – ‘backstabbing’, property rivalry, court cases