Mayawati hits out at BJP, calls it 'casteist'; asks party to make public source of funds during elections

Lucknow: Terming the BJP and the RSS casteist outfits, BSP chief Mayawati on Friday asked the saffron party to make public the source of funds deposited in its bank accounts during the elections."The BJP and the RSS are casteist outfits who do not want to see people of deprived sections progress in education and business," the BSP president told media persons here.

File image of BSP chief Mayawati. PTI

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister's remarks came a day after the Income Tax Department attached a 'benami' commercial plot worth Rs 400 crore in Noida belonging to her brother and his wife.

Mayawati had recently appointed her brother Kumar as national vice-president of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The BSP president said after coming to power under Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, the BJP party had bought properties worth millions of rupees.

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"From where has this money come to the BJP? Why is the BJP and the RSS afraid of giving its account? Is this massive wealth not BJP's benami property," she asked.

The BSP chief said when their own people became wealthy overnight, they had no problem but they could not tolerate when people from the deprived sections progressed, especially in business.

She said the BJP used the government machinery against them to serve its casteist rivalry. The BSP president said the BJP had not made public the source of Rs 2,000 crore deposited in its accounts during the elections.

"Everybody knows that during the elections, the BJP got Rs 2,000 crore in its bank accounts. It is not clear who gave the money and everyone wants to know its source. Is it benami," she asked.

"This money was used to influence voters from the poor and deprived sections during the elections. All are aware of it," Mayawati added.

Stressing that before pointing a finger at others, the BJP should introspect, Mayawati said, "If they think they are Harishchand (honest), they should hold a probe about the wealth of their people before and after coming into politics," she said.

Warning that the attempt to crush the voice of the deprived people would not succeed, Mayawati said the BSP was solidly standing with them.  When asked to comment on the attachment proceedings against Mayawati's brother, UP Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma said, "If someone is innocent, then he should not fear any probe. The government will not act against anyone in a prejudiced manner. There will be an impartial and transparent probe."

The provisional order for the attachment of the seven-acre plot, beneficially owned by Anand Kumar and his wife Vichiter Lata, was issued on 16 July by the department's Delhi-based Benami Prohibition Unit (BPU).

Benami properties are those in which the real beneficiary is not the one in whose name property has been purchased. The plot, where a five-star hotel and other luxury facilities were planned to be created, is registered at no 2A, Sector 94, Noida, in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Budh Nagar district, part of the National Capital Region.