Daya row: Maya sees BJP-SP plot

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, July 24

BSP supremo Myawati today charged the BJP-led government at the Centre and the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh with conniving to corner the BSP through the Daya Shankar Singh episode by lodging cases against her and her senior leaders.

“The biggest evidence of this political conspiracy is that even after the lapse of 36 hours the SP has not been able to arrest Daya Shankar Singh,” said Mayawati.

She appealed to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to protect the honour of her so-called “bua” (paternal aunt) by arresting the culprit as soon as possible.

In this context, she reminded Yadav of her government in 2009 not even sparing Varun Gandhi for his inflammatory comments and putting him behind bars.

She said in order to divert attention from the beating of the Dalit youths in Una, Gujarat, which she had raised in Parliament causing discomfiture to the BJP forcing it to conspire to get her entangled in a controversy by making a senior office-bearer in Uttar Pradesh make such provocative statements against her.

“The Samajwadi Party government pressurised its police to register a case against me for statement made by me in Parliament ignoring the fact that under Section 105 of the Constitution no member is liable to any proceeding in any court in respect of anything said in Parliament,” she pointed out.

She said she was planning to initiate contempt of House or breach of privilege procedures against the complainants.

Defending her party’s senior leaders, including national general secretary Naseemuddin Siddiiqui, Mayawati said he had asked the women members of Singh’s family to explain if they were supportive of what he had to say about the women president of BSP.

“It is a polluted mindset that has misrepresented the statement and the BJP is attempting to make it a political issue by getting cases registered against BSP leaders,” said Mayawati.

Rescheduling BSP’s protest and demanding action against Singh using foul language against her, Mayawati said instead of statewide demonstrations on July 25, she would not hold a series of rallies beginning on August 21 in Agra and August 29 in Azamgarh.