PM must reach out to the BJP
The government is evidently girding itself for the challenge of the winter session of Parliament, beginning talks with parties it hopes to lean on for numbers. The prime minister met BSP leader Mayawati over lunch, a couple of days after he invited SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav to dinner. While Mayawati was quick to delink the meeting from the upcoming session of Parliament, it is clear that the support of these two parties will be very actively solicited. Their cooperation is critical, if the government is to achieve anything on its legislative to-do list.