A day after the Supreme Court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to file an FIR against her for alleged irregularities in the Taj Heritage Corridor project, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati on Friday said the Taj controversy 'is a well thought out political conspiracy' by the Manuvadis to malign her image.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Mayawati said being a daughter of a Dalit, the Manuvadi forces have not been able to digest her success in politics.
The Bahujan Samaj Party vice-president denied reports that she had acquired a number of properties or that she was involved in irregularities in the Taj project saying efforts were being made to link her with the issue to malign her.
Saying the Income Tax department has been informed about 'each and every property' she owns, Mayawati demanded a white paper on the properties owned by political leaders, including the prime minister, and their relatives.
She expressed surprise at the CBI and Income Tax officials inquiring about her assets when she had already submitted all the details while filing her I-T returns. "What does the CBI want to know? Why are they not asking me? Why are they depending on media reports on the jewellery and properties owned by me? What has happened to CBI's secrecy?"
The former chief minister disclosed details of property owned at her native place Bulandshahr. She admitted purchasing property in Delhi but clarified it was in the name of the BSP.
She asked about Prime Minister Vajpayee's promise that, when he assumed power, he would get all his ministers to disclose details of their assets. "Why was it not carried out? It was not done because several of them owned properties in different parts of the country.
"Somebody owns a hotel in Manali, somebody in Kashmir, somebody in Dehradun and someone in south India," she said adding no one seemed to be pointing fingers at these leaders.
As far as properties of her close relatives were concerned, Mayawati said they did not have information about Income Tax rules and were perhaps unable to file returns. "I have nothing to do with their property," she said.
Was any probe ordered, into corruption charges, against any political leader, or members of their family, as was being done against my relatives and me, she asked.
Referring to the SC directive to file an FIR against her, her former cabinet colleague Naseemuddin Siddiqui and four Uttar Pradesh officials, the former chief minister expressed surprise why the court did not mention the names of two Union ministers (Culture Minister Jagmohan and Environment Minister T R Balu) and two central officials.
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