NEW DELHI/ALLAHABAD, 28 January 2005 — Targeting her old political foe, Samajwadi Party leader and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party President Mayawati hurled a new political missile at him yesterday holding him “responsible” for the murder of her party MLA Raju Pal. Describing Pal’s murder as a “pre-planned conspiracy” of the state government, Mayawati accused Mulayam and SP legislator Ateeq Ahmed of having orchestrated the killing. Demanding a CBI inquiry into the murder, she also insisted on the dismissal of the UP government.
Mayawati was in Allahabad yesterday, the city that has been rocked by violence following Pal’s murder. While in Allahabad, she gave 500,000 rupees as compensation to Pal’s widow.
After visiting the slain legislator’s residence, Mayawati said: “The murder of the BSP MLA was a pre-planned conspiracy by the Samajwadi Party government at the behest of Mulayam Singh, political don Ateeq Ahmed and their party activists.”
Blaming the police for being a “party” to the conspiracy, she said: “Why were the security men guarding Pal silent when the attack happened and why didn`t they retaliate? This indicates a pre-planned conspiracy to kill him.”
Accusing the top police officials of being involved in the attack on Pal, Mayawati said: “It was a misuse of government machinery.”
She also charged the local police of taking custody of the slain legislator’s body without taking his family members into confidence.
Claiming that BSP would not be deterred by such attacks, Mayawati even threatened to retaliate in the same coin for which SP would be responsible.
