The Hindu : Mayawati damaging social amity: SP

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 09, 2003

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Mayawati damaging social amity: SP

By J P Shukla

LUCKNOW APRIL 8. The Samajwadi Party has demanded the immediate dismissal of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mayawati, and her arrest under POTA for her alleged involvement in deep corruption and causing damage to the cause of "social amity and harmony in the State".

The leader of the SP legislature group, Mohammed Azam Khan, accompanied by other leaders of the party, today called on the Governor, Vishnu Kant Shastri, to press the point. They handed over to the Governor a memorandum and video recordings of a purported speech of the Chief Minister in which she allegedly "reiterated her demand for money from BSP MLAs and MPs for party funds". She was also shown in the compact disc as making remarks against Hindu deities to dissuade her party cadre from making offerings to idols in temples.

On March 3, the SP leaders had called on the Governor to hand over their first CD which showed the Chief Minister cajoling her party MLAs and MPs to part with "illegal cuts they received from utilisation of their constituency funds".

Talking to newspersons in his office after returning from the Raj Bhavan today, Mr. Khan, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, said the second CD related to one of the recent meetings addressed by Ms. Mayawati. However, he declined to give the exact date and time of the recording.

Mr Khan alleged that Ms. Mayawati had "compared Hindu Gods to animals" using most unbecoming language. "No one has a right to hurt the feelings of any community. India is an old country with different religious communities and it is a crime to create animosity among groups of people," he said.

Another point highlighted in Ms. Mayawati's speech was to ask her party cadre to make "generous donations" to her birthday. By making offerings to stone idols, the workers would only help the "Brahmins and Banias", while by making donations to her, they would help the party, Ms Mayawati was heard saying in her speech.

(According to PTI, Ms. Mayawati reportedly said: "Do not offer prasad to Gods... Do you know what happens to prasad?... Dogs eat them.")

According to Mr. Khan, the Governor had told the SP delegation today that the first CD made had been examined and sent for action. He had assured action in accordance with his constitutional powers in respect of the second CD too.

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