M A I N   N E W S

Maya praises Sonia, spits venom on PM
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 19
A day after the Supreme Court gave directions to register case in the Taj Corridor case, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today accused all democratic institutions of working in a ‘politically motivated’ manner to tarnish the image of the Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) and depressed section of society.

While she accused the BJP of indulging in slanderous campaign against her and Dalits, Ms Mayawati said no senior BJP leader had even telephoned to ask the condition of ailing BSP supremo Kanshi Ram. She pointed out the magnanimous gesture of following Hindu tradition by Congress President Sonia Gandhi by inquiring about the condition of the BSP leader.

Appreciating Sonia’s “humanitarian” gesture, the BSP Vice-President said the Congress chief, during her long years in India, had learnt about Indian culture and her telephone call on Wednesday to inquire about Kanshi Ram’s health was a result of that learning. “She has fully learnt about the Indian culture”, Mayawati said.

“Sonia Gandhi talked to me on the telephone and wished a speedy recovery to the ailing BSP supremo. She wanted to see him but could not do so as doctors have advised him complete rest,” the former Chief Minister said.

Her positive remarks on Ms Gandhi today are being viewed in political circles as an indication of thaw in ties between the two political parties ahead of the Assembly elections in five states, where Dalits constitute a sizeable population.

She also rejected reports about her involvement in the scam in the Taj project saying efforts were being made to link her with the issue to malign her. ‘‘I demand that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee should order an impartial probe by a committee or by a person with impeccable character on the properties owned by him and other political leaders and their relatives and come out with a White Paper on its findings,’’ the BSP Vice-President told reporters here.

Vowing to strike back with a vengeance with the support of Dalits, Ms Mayawati said she was being targeted by the parties of ‘Manuvadi’ mentality because she belonged to the Dalit community.

She also made a scathing attack on a section of press saying it was being used by the CBI for planting reports against her, she added.

Though insisting that she had yet to go through the order of the SC, the Bahujan Samaj Party leader said all charges against her were wrong and she was being falsely implicated.

Stating that the Central Ministers, whose officials were allegedly involved in the case, were aware of the project, she demanded a probe into their role in the case.

The former Chief Minister also gave details of property owned at her native place in Bulandshahar. Mayawati admitted that she had purchased property in Delhi but that was in the name of BSP.

She said all her property and that of her relatives were accounted for in the Income Tax returns.