Bring CBI under Lokpal: Mayawati to Centre

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today put her weight behind Team Anna as she blamed the Centre for not paying heed to her suggestions on the Lokpal Bill of including the CBI under its ambit as her party Bahujan Samaj Party wants. “It appears from media reports that union government has not paid heed to the suggestions put forward earlier for a strong and effective Lokpal bill in which there was a special thrust on bringing the CBI under its ambit,” Mayawati said.[caption id=“attachment_163140” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“On attack mode. Image courtesy PIB”]  [/caption] “In case CBI is not included in the Lokpal Bill, BSP would not support it,” she said in a release in Lucknow adding that her party had made the demand for its inclusion as it had been seen time and again that the Central government had been misusing the premier investigating agency for its political gains and BSP and its government had been a victim of this. “The demand for CBI’s inclusion had been made in order to check its misuse,” she asserted. The chief minister regretted that the copy of the draft bill has not been made available to members of her party and said that same appeared to be the case with members of other parties also. Mayawati recalled that she had also demanded bringing the prime minister, group C and D employees of the Central government under the Lokpal along with the CBI. Besides this, she had also demanded proper representation to members of SC\STs and OBCs, who had been victims of casteist mentality since long in keeping with the sentiments of Baba Saheb Ambedkar in all decision taking position, she said adding that representation to all religions should also be given. Mayawati said that these sections should also be given representation in the final committee which would be drafting the final bill. Stressing on the need for an effective Lokpal bill, she said that it was necessary for checking rampant corruption in the country. Corruption is the root of criminalisation in politics and so in order to control both a strong Lokpal was required, she added. PTI