UP: Mayawati gives clean chit to ministers

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Thursday gave a clean chit to two of her ministerial colleagues, who were in the thick of controversies following allegations of murder and abduction against them by two women.

"Unfounded allegations have been levelled against two of her ministers - Thakur Jaiveer Singh and Jaivir Singh - in Aligarh and a BSP MLA," she said.

A woman, who has threatened self-immolation in front of the state assembly, has alleged involvement of minister of State for Irrigation Jaiveer Singh in the murder of her father.

Another woman in Aligarh has alleged Jaivir Singh, the RES minister, was behind the disappearance of her husband.

The BSP MLA from Etawah has been accused of shielding a rape accused.

Speaking on the motion of thanks to Governor BL Joshi's address to the joint sitting of the Legislature, she reeled out figures to show the crime rate had come down in Uttar Pradesh.

In the line of Opposition fire over the law and order situation, she said other states were ahead of UP as far as the crime rate was concerned.

Referring to the political storm over cleaning of her footwear by a police officer in Auraiya, the Chief Minister said opposition parties had no concrete programme and were, therefore, raising such issues.

Such attacks on her would only strengthen her party and this would be proved once again in the upcoming assembly election, she said.

The Chief Minister said the assembly election would be held on time.

She also referred to the opposition parties taking exception to her absence from the House during initiation of a debate on the motion of thanks.

Mayawati said the Leader of the Opposition, who on Thursday refused to speak unless she arrived, was himself missing when the budget was presented on Wednesday.

She said some official work had kept her away from the House.

The Chief Minister said the Centre was not extending adequate help to her government. "This was regrettable."

The motion of thanks was adopted by the House in the absence of SP and BJP members who staged a walkout.