http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-10-16/lucknow/30285788_1_mayawati-dalit-prerna-sthal-bsp-supremo
Maya-Sonia relations hit an all-time low
Ashish Tripathi, TNN Oct 16, 2011, 04.04AM IST
LUCKNOW: There is nothing new in UP chief minister and BSP supremo
Mayawati describing Congress as her enemy number one. But Maya-Sonia
relations have hit an all time low with Mayawati accusing Congress
president Sonia Gandhi of ditching her in disproportionate assets (DA)
case.
The BSP insiders, however, claim it was Behenji's 'master stroke'
aimed at preempting any move by the Congress-led UPA government to use
CBI for discrediting her before 2012 assembly elections. The CBI had
recently filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court that it has evidence
to prosecute Mayawati for having assets more than her known sources of
income.
After inaugurating Dalit Prerna Sthal in Noida on Friday, Mayawati, in
her speech, had claimed that when NDA government had ordered CBI to
raid her residence in 2003, Sonia Gandhi had called her and assured
that if voted to power, UPA government would do justice to the BSP
supremo, but nothing has been done so far, despite the fact that the
income tax department has given her a clean chit.
The BSP leaders said that by disclosing her conversation with Sonia,
Behenji has put the Congress on the backfoot. "The UPA government has
been using disproportionate assets (DA) case against Mayawati and SP
chief Mulayam Singh to serve its purpose for long. We have come to
know that the depending on the political situation, Congress can use
the DA case against Mayawati or Mulayam to discredit them just before
the assembly polls due in March next year," they said.
The BSP leaders also pointed out that the UP chief minister has taken
action against four ministers indicted by the UP Lokayukta for
corruption. Two ministers were removed when their names figured in
National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam. Further, action has been
taken against 20 BSP MLAs, MPs and other leaders for their involvement
in corruption and criminal activities. "No other government, Centre or
states, in the country has taken such steps against corruption," they
claimed. In such a scenario, they said, Congress could have used CBI
against Mayawati to divert attention of people during UP elections
from the price hike and scams under the UPA regime. Mayawati has also
said that she has no problem with the anti-corruption campaigns of
Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev. They said that any CBI action now would
only generate sympathy among voters for Mayawati.
Significantly, despite political rivalry, Sonia and Maya had good
relations. It started with Sonia's visit to Maya on her birthday in
2004. In June 2007, Congress-appointed UP governor T V Rajeswar had
denied permission to CBI to prosecute Mayawati in Taj Heritage case.
Mayawati responded by supporting Congress candidate Pratibha Patil for
the post of President. But in March 2008, Gandhi scion Rahul earned
Maya's anger when he started visiting dalit households in UP. In July
2008, Maya formed Third Front to oppose the Indo-US nuclear deal. In
May 2009, BSP performed poorly in Lok Sabha elections in UP as a
section of dalits and Muslims voted for Congress. In July 2009, UP
Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi's house was burnt allegedly by BSP
supporters after she reportedly made defamatory remarks against
Mayawati. Joshi was also arrested.
In 2010, after getting clean chit from the Income Tax (I-T) Appellate
Tribunal, Maya requested the apex court to quash the DA case filed by
the CBI. On April 23, 2010, the CBI told the court that it can
consider closure of proceedings against Maya in view of the I-T order.
In return, the BSP saved the UPA government on April 27, 2010, during
the cut motion brought by the opposition in the budget session. But
things changed in 2011 when Rahul launched an aggressive campaign
against Mayawati's rule on the issue of land acquisition and
corruption.
Mayawati got Rahul arrested in Bhatta-Parsaul in May this year.
Subsequently in August, the CBI filed an affidavit in the Supreme
Court claiming that the DA proceedings against Maya cannot be dropped
and it would file a chargesheet against her soon. Now, the BSP chief
has responded by attacking Sonia.
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