Demanding action against the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government, the Samajwadi Party has urged Uttar Pradesh Governor B.L. Joshi to take cognisance of a report in which it has been said that a notice is likely to be issued to Vijay Shankar Pandey, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mayawati, by the Enforcement Directorate in the Hasan Ali money laundering case.
The news report was front-paged by an English daily on Saturday.
“The Samajwadi Party's charge that money belonging to some officials was being deposited in foreign banks through the hawala route has been vindicated. Strong action should be taken against the government,” Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Shivpal Singh Yadav told reporters at the party's headquarters on Saturday. He said a party delegation would meet the Governor soon.
Mr. Shivpal Singh said the government should be dismissed and FIRs lodged. He alleged that Hasan Ali had direct links with the Chief Minister's Principal Secretary. “An inquiry should be ordered into how the Chief Minister's office [reportedly] tried to derail the Enforcement Directorate's investigations,” he said.
He alleged that despite the court's stay on construction work in parks and memorials, work was in progress. At the same time, Samajwadi Party workers were jailed on false charges.
Present at the press conference were Independent MLA from Kunda and former Minister, Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya, who was released on bail from Bareilly jail on Friday after four months' incarceration. Besides, Samajwadi MLC Akshay Pratap Singh and party MP from Kaushambi, Shailendra, who were also released on Friday, were present.
Describing their release as a defeat of the “autocratic Chief Minister,” Mr. Shivpal Singh said despite being public representatives they were ill-treated in jail.
Mr. Raja Bhaiya backed the Samajwadi Party's demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the Chief Medical Officer (Family Welfare) murder case. He did not rule out the possibility of his joining the Samajwadi Party.
