Lucknow, December 25
Ridiculing the contention that dispute over contribution towards her birthday bash led to the murder of a PWD executive engineer, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today even turned down the demand for a CBI probe into the incident. Meanwhile, violence was reported during a bandh organised by Samajwadi Party to protest the killing.

Mayawati said there was no need for a CBI probe into the case as the accused had already been arrested. She claimed preliminary investigations into the killing of the engineer had revealed that the murder was a fallout of some alleged dispute over contracts and commissions among the employees.

Blaming the opposition parties for flaring up the situation, the BSP supremo said they had allegedly joined hands to malign her party by linking the incident to her birthday celebrations.

Pointing out that it was during the previous Samajwadi regime that bureaucrats and engineers “lived in a shadow of fear and terror”, the Chief Minister said: “Corruption and criminalisation of politics was at its peak under the Samajwadi rule.” She said by linking the engineer's murder with her birthday celebrations her political opponents were allegedly trying to derive political mileage out of the “unfortunate” incident.

However, the BSP supremo did not deny the criminal background of her Aurraiya MLA Shekhar Tiwari, who was arrested yesterday in connection with the engineer’s murder.

Addressing mediapersons at her 5 Kalidas residence, Mayawati said her party would now observe her birthday - on January 15 as - ‘Virodhi Party Dhikkar Diwas’. On that day, she said, the BSP would hold rallies in every Vidhan Sabha segment to expose the so-called “evil designs” of rival political parties.

Mayawati said her party banked on financial assistance by party workers and not on donations by capitalists and corporate houses.

Also, she said she had directed all her party MLAs and MPs not to collect any funds for the upcoming general elections. “The job will now be done by those in the party organisation.”