E-Paper
Mulayam mum on UP split, harps on irrigation woes
SP chief attacks Mayawati, reaches out to farmers and minorities. Srinand Jha reports.
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav launched his party's election campaign for 2012 assembly elections of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday with a promise to provide free irrigation but was silent on CM Mayawati’s proposal to split UP.
"The SP is contesting to win the elections on its own. If elected, our government will provide free irrigation to farmers," Yadav told a rally at the SP bastion of Etah, approximately 300 km from Lucknow.
In an attack on the "corrupt and tyrannical" state government, the SP chief said: "Mayawati is unable to get proper sleep at night unless a bribe of Rs 2 crore is delivered to her each day."
"Even a chaprasi (peon) in the chief minister’s office has become a crorepati,” Yadav said, alleging a nexus between the Congress and the BSP, the party Mayawati heads.
“The central government has the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under its command, but is doing nothing to check the corruption of the Mayawati government.”
In his half-hour speech, the SP supremo remained silent on the state government’s decision to split the state into four parts and also made no reference to the BJP, which is generally in support of such a move.
In an effort to reach out to the minorities, Yadav alleged the Muslims were being discriminated against. “Nothing has been done about the recommendations of the justice Rajinder Sachar and justice Ranganath Mishra committee reports.”
Yadav expressed regret again for having expelled from the party SP leader Azam Khan, who has returned, however.
Speaking earlier, Khan raked up the Babri Masjid demolition issue and said that the Congress must rebuild the mosque in Ayodhya, before appealing for Muslim votes.
