Mulayam raps Mayawati for collecting funds for her birthday

Former defence minister and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday rapped Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati for blatantly demanding money from her ministers, legislators, MPs and government officials in the form of 'birthday gift' for herself.

Mayawati, who turns 46 on January 15, has not only planned a big bash on the occasion in Lucknow, but also a cultural extravaganza at New Delhi's Talkatora stadium where she will also host a grand dinner for the political bigwigs in the ruling National Democratic Alliance.

To be eligible to participate in the birthday bash, her party's ministers, MPs and legislators have been asked to shell out a 'decent gift packet'.

This must come in the form of specially printed coupons of different denominations --- Rs 1,000, 500 and 100. While a minister is required to purchase coupons worth Rs 700,000, a quota of Rs 500,000 has been fixed for MPs and Rs 100,000 for legislators.

The coupon duly signed by Mayawati states, "I was born on January 15, 1956, and the party has decided to observe this day as monetary support day, so please contribute generously to the party."

Visibly horrified at what he termed as 'gross misuse of authority', Mulayam told reporters in Lucknow, "It is not her birthday, but a day for loot," adding, "Mayawati had already throttled all democratic norms by establishing a totalitarian rule in the state; and now by openly demanding bribes from all and sundry, she had disgraced the office of the chief minister."

Mulayam said, "Pressure is also being exerted on district magistrates and other senior officials to make similar offerings; I am told that the Ghaziabad district officials have been told to get a gift packet of Rs 5 crores."

The Samajwadi Party chief has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into this 'birthday gift scam'. He said, "I have enough evidence to prove this charge; and if I fail to prove it, I will resign from my membership of the Lok Sabha."

Mulayam also accused the Uttar Pradesh chief minister of "having taken monetary favours from the sugar lobby under whose influence she was busy squeezing the poor sugarcane farmer, who were being oppressed and had even been killed in a police firing."