The Bahujan Samaj Party has denied the report in The Indian Express (BSP ‘gifts’ prime land to Maya brother’s trust, August 21) saying that the land was given by the party to a trust of which Anand Kumar, Mayawati’s brother, was a member. Babu Singh Kushwaha, party’s national general secretary, has sent a letter to the newspaper:

“It has been stated: As per the deed, “the donee (Kumar) shall be absolute and exclusive owner of the said property.” The reporter has quoted para 8 of the deed, but added the word “Kumar” on his own. In the deed, nowhere the word “Kumar” has been written after the word donee. The addition of this word gives a false picture as if the property has been donated to Mr Anand Kumar and he has become its absolute owner.

“The very first para of the deed clearly states that the donor is Bahujan Samaj Party and the donee is Bahujan Prerna Trust, a registered charitable trust governed by the provisions of The Indian Trust Act. The Bahujan Prerna Trust is a legal entity, like the Bahujan Samaj Party, and it has now become the absolute owner of the property, not Mr Anand Kumar, who has only signed the gift deed as the authorised signatory of the trust and one of the trustees.

“It is unfortunate that without first understanding the correct position, a tainted story has been published, misleading crores of members of Bahujan Samaj Party. “You may be informed that the property was gifted by the Bahujan Samaj Party to the Bahujan Prerna Trust on the basis of a written resolution, dated 25.05.2007, passed unanimously by the National Executive of the Bahujan Samaj Party.

... contd.