Mulayam running out of time: Khurshid

Short of saying that President's Rule should be imposed in Uttar Pradesh on grounds of the deteriorating law and order, UP Congress chief Salman Khurshid said that the situation in the state was so bad that it is for the Centre to apply its mind and take necessary action.

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"We do not want to fish in troubled waters. The law and order situation in the state is really bad and the Congress party will take to the streets next week to highlight this point. It is for the Centre to take action," he said when asked if the Congress supported former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati that Mulayam Singh Yadav's government should be dismissed and Central rule imposed.

But, has the time come to withdraw support from the Mulayam Singh government?

"We had given him a 'one time cheque', which he has encashed already. We did not give him a credit card. At that time we supported him to prevent communal forces from coming to power. Congress president Sonia Gandhi herself is on record on this matter. But we did not say that we would continue to give him support to run the government," he clarified.

He claimed that the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh had gone from bad to worse during the Mulayam rule.

Has the time come to go back to the people for a fresh mandate?

"One should never be away from the people. Of course, the time will come when we will have to go back to the people; UP in such a sad state of affairs," he said.