Mayawati should get SPG cover due to goonda raj of SP: BSP

Justifying the demand for SPG security cover to Mayawati, senior Bahujan Samaj Party leader and leader of opposition in the Uttar Pradesh state assembly Swami Prasad Maurya on Friday said it was necessary because of the "prevailing goonda raj" of the Samajwadi Party.

"Under the prevailing goonda raj, it is necessary that SPG security is given to BSP president and we must not forget as to how an attempt on her life was made during the then government led by SP national president (in 1995)," Maurya told reporters.

To questions that Mayawati has apprehended threat to her life from terrorists, Maurya quipped "SP is no less than terrorists...has the definition of terrorist come from some other place".

On the issue of BSP MLA Rajesh Tripathi complaining about threat to his life from a party MP, Maurya, who is also state unit president of the party, claimed that the MLA had merely complained that he faced a threat from hooligans of Ghazipur and not about any party member.

"He has not given anything in writing to the party. If he does so, we will examine it and apprise the national president about the same and if there is anything concrete in it, action would be taken," Maurya said.

He said that the party would not hesitate to take strong action against any of its party members if found guilty of any wrong-doings or breaching the party discipline.

The BSP leader while condemning the rising cases of chain snatching and loot, especially concerning women, alleged that the chief minister was behaving like "three monkeys of Gandhiji" and warned that it would not work.