SAD issues whip to its MPs to vote against UPA

Chandigarh, Jul 19 (PTI) The ruling S.A.D. in Punjab
Friday issued a whip to its eight MPs to vote against the
United Progressive Alliance (U.P.A.) government in the next
week's trust vote in an apparent move to prevent any
cross-voting that may benefit Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
because of his Sikh origin.

Punjab Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal(S.A.D.)
supremo Parkash Singh Badal told reporters that the eight SAD
MPs will vote against the Congress-led U.P.A. government.

"The U.P.A. Government is now in minority and after the
trust vote it will be proved," Badal said.

SAD general secretary and party's Parliamentary board
chairman Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa said the party issued the whip
to avoid any cross-voting by MPs who are part of the BJP-led
National Democratic Alliance(N.D.A.).
In the absence of whip, there were speculation about
cross voting by some Akali MPs as several Sikh organisations
had appealed to them to support the country's first Sikh Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh.

Though the Akalis have not uttered anything against the
Indo-US nuclear deal, the party has decided to go with the
N.D.A. despite pressure from various government to save the
government because of prime minister's sikh factor. PTI