Mayawati was scared her corrupt deals would be exposed: Kalyan

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh alleged that the rug was pulled from under his ministry on Sunday because Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati feared that ''her large-scale financial bunglings'' would be exposed.

Bubbling with confidence, the chief minister opened a veritable Pandora's box in his talk with the media on Sunday. He alleged that Mayawati cleverly skirted the real reasons for withdrawing support to his government.

"The real provocation for pulling out of the ministry was that I have been unearthing cases of gross misuse of office by Mayawati for personal gain,'' he said, claiming that one such deal was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigatioin on Saturday.

The case pertains to a Rs 5 billion land deal allegedly involving Mayawati. "The scam involved the conversion of some 700 acres of prime industrial land into a residential area. The land, located near the Greater New Okhla Industrial Development Area, was allotted to the late music magnate Gulshan Kumar's T-Series, who was making a film on Mayawati," he said.

Besides breaking all state government and NOIDA rules and conventions, the conversion was effected without the National Capital Region Board's mandatory approval, he said.

What is more, Mayawati also shunted out Greater NOIDA Chairperson Usha Chatrath for opposing the plan. ''Principal Secretary (Industries) Babu Ram was given additional charge of the job to ensure the deal was given instant sanction,'' he said, naming some forthright Board members who were prevented from attending the meeting in which the sanction was granted.

Giving details of another case against Mayawati, Kalyan Singh alleged that ''special favours'' were given to a Madras-based company for the supply of some 145 fire extinguishers at a ''four-fold inflated price''.

"The manner in which the order was placed in utter violation of laid-down rules and norms and the haste with which an excess payment of Rs 26 million was ordered spoke volumes of the goings-on in the Mayawati regime," he charged. "An inquiry had been ordered by me in this case as well."

The chief minister also unearthed a ''tailor-made criterion to suit the target buyers" in selling 23 government agriculture farms covering a total area of 6,930 acres. The deal has been cancelled.

Smelling a ''major lottery scam involving Mayawati'', the UP cabinet on Saturday was contemplating a ban on lotteries in the state, he said.

Confident that his government would sail through the vote of confidence on Tuesday, the chief minister said, "Although the governor has not given us reasonable time for proving our majority, I am sure that MLAs will exercise their vote sensibly, keeping in mind the people's interests.''

Asked if he would engineer defections in his bid to prove majority, he said, ''Just wait and watch. We do not have to do anything. I have no doubts about proving our strength."

In the 425-member House, the BJP has 175 members plus two belonging to its ally, the Samta Party. With seven of the 13 independent members supporting it, the BJP's effective strength is 184. To touch the magic figure of 213, however, the party would still require 29 members.

As for the other parties, the Samajwadi Party has 110, the BSP 67, the Congress 37, the Janata Dal 7, the Bharatiya Kisan Party 8, the Communist Party of India-Marxist 4, the Communist Party of India 1, the Samajwadi Janata Party 1. Sources said the BJP is banking on the support of some disgruntled BSP and Congress members.

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