Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav
Rubbishing reports of its consent to the anti-corruption legislation, the Samajwadi Party today said it will continue to oppose the Lokpal Bill "to any extent".
"The Lokpal Bill will push the nation towards administrative disarray. If it becomes law, no minister will sign files," senior party leader Ram Gopal Yadav told NDTV today.
"There has been no assurance to the Speaker. If need be, we will disrupt Parliament," Mr Yadav said.
However, in a decision that gives some breather to the government, the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led party has decided not to support any no confidence motion against the Congress alliance at the Centre.
"With few months left for the general elections, we have decided not to back the no trust vote," Ram Gopal Yadav said.
The contentious Bill is likely to be debated in Parliament tomorrow after the proceedings were adjourned today following the death of Union minister Sis Ram Ola.
The softening in the Samajwadi Party's stand may have come after the Congress vice-president issued an appeal on Saturday directed at his key ally, whose 21 MPs offer external support to the central government.
"This is a matter of national importance. We would like all parties to put aside small differences and do this job," Mr Gandhi said at a press conference on Saturday.
The Lokpal Bill seeks to create an independent national agency empowered to investigate charges of corruption against government servants.