Mayawati slams SP over attack on her minister

UP CM alleged that the attack on a minister was a desperate act by mafia elements who were patronised by the Samajwadi Party.

UP Chief Minister Mayawati on Saturday hit back at opposition parties,which had questioned her handling of law and order after an attack on a minister,and alleged the incident was a desperate act by mafia elements who were patronised by the Samajwadi Party.

“The attack on Minister Nand Kumar Gupta in Allahabad is a fallout of desperation of criminals and mafias owing to the crackdown launched by the state government against them,” Mayawati said in her first comments on the Monday bomb attack.

The BSP supremo alleged that the involvement of SP MLA Vijay Mishra in the Monday attack,that left one person dead and two others,besides the Minister,injured,had made it clear that Samajwadi Party “is entirely connected with criminals and is patronising them”.

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Mayawati said that during preliminary investigation it was found that Dilip Mishra,who was a close relative of SP MLA from Bhadohi Vijay Mishra,plotted the attack.

“In 2007,Dilip,in a bid to discourage Nandi from contesting the state assembly elections,had attacked him,” she told reporters here. Mayawati said that two persons arrested by the police in connection with the attack on the minister admitted that Dilip had consulted the SP MLA.

“While Dilip has 30 criminal cases registered againsty him,58 cases are registered against the Vijay Mishra,” she claimed,adding the lawmaker was having illegal property worth Rs 50 crore in Jasaula area in Delhi.

“From this,it is very clear that the SP as a party is entirely connected with criminals and is patronising them,” she alleged.

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Terming the statements by opposition leaders in connection with the Allahabad incident as “unfortunate and motivated by cheap politics”,Mayawati said that before giving such “irresponsible” comments,the opposition parties should remember attack on Parliament and Mumbai terror strike.

“Was there ‘jungle raj’ in the country when the then railway minister Lalit Narain Mishra was killed in a bomb attack in Bihar or was there complete anarchy in the country when the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was killed at her residence during Congress regime,” she questioned.

The CM said that during Congress regime several innocent Sikhs were killed in 1984 riots and there was complete anarchy in the country for days.

“Before giving any statement,the Congress leaders should remember murder of VP Singh’s brother during his tenure as chief minister. The party failed to bring those responsible for these murder to book,” she alleged.

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“Between 1991 to 2005 one MP,18 MLAs and 38 office-bearers of various political parties were killed.

During SP’s regime from 2003 to 2007 one former MP,three MLAs,one ex-MLA and 13 office-bearers were killed,” she said.