Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati’s attempt to link the money probe against her party to her Dalit origin drew flak from Union ministers Ram Vilas Paswan and Ravi Shankar Prasad.
While senior Dalit leader and Minister for Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan said it was shocking to find out that a leader who claims to represent the have-nots has Rs 100 crore in bank account, Minister for Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad said Dalits’ future cannot be mortgaged to a party, alluding to Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party.
Paswan said: “My party (Lok Janshakti Party-LJP) works for Dalits. We have six Lok Sabha members and the total money in LJP’s bank account is Rs 1,03,198. Being the daughter of a Dalit does not give her the licence to indulge in corruption. She must let the law take its course and let the authorities probe her party’s account.”
Prasad said: “Her allegations are baseless and we reject it with the contempt they deserve. If the Enforcement Directorate does a routine exercise, why is she so rattled? Will your corruption be hidden in the name of Dalits?”
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