Lucknow, Apr 22: Wading into the raging controversy involving the Lokpal Bill drafting committee members, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today virtually demanded resignation of the Bhushans.
“The committee should distance itself from those whose integrity is doubted,” she said, without naming anyone in the wake of the CD controversy involving lawyer Shanti Bhushan and property allotments to him.
Shanti Bhushan and his son Prashant are both members of the 10-member committee.
At a press conference, she also demanded inclusion of an “apolitical scheduled caste member” in the committee.
“Of the 10 members including those of civil society, there is not member of scheduled caste in the drafting committee. We want the committee to be re-organised and an apolitical scheduled caste member included in it,” she said.
Alleging that Congress forgot to include an SC member in the committee “due to its casteist mentality”, Mayawati said the party has ignored the caste on important occasions.
She said Anna Hazare should have discussed before giving names of drafting committee members.
“How could he forget to include the name of an SC member in the committee when Maharashtra, the state to which he belongs, has witnessed a number of social agitations for giving rights to the community?” she asked.
She also said that Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar also belonged to Hazare's state.
Welcoming Hazare's anti-corruption agitation, she said BSP has been fighting corruption and criminalisation and was determined to root them out from the society.
“The evil of corruption and criminalisation has become chronic in the state due to previous governments. BSP will root them out but it will take time,” she added. PTI
