Thaindian News

Lucknow, April 25 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati must first list the steps she has taken for the betterment of Dalits before demanding the inclusion of a Dalit member in the Lokpal Bill drafting committee, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said here Monday.

“Though as of now we would not like to comment over Mayawati’s remark related to inclusion of a Dalit member in the drafting committee, she must first answer three questions for the people of the state,” Prasad said.

“First, how may young Dalits have got employment in the last four years of her rule? Second, what is the rate of malnutrition amongst Dalit mothers? Lastly, Mayawati must give records related to mortality rate of Dalit infants,” he told reporters at a press conference.

“She only projects to be the custodian of Dalit rights. Actually, she has not taken any concrete steps for raising the living standard of Dalits,” he added.

Reacting to Mayawati’s demand for including a Dalit member in the anti-graft law drafting committee, Prasad said: “As the opposition has not been included in the drafting committee, it is now up to the central government and the civil society to decide over this. We would be giving a detailed reaction later.”

The party’s chief spokesperson also hit out at Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh for questioning the effectiveness of Karnataka Lokayukta (ombudsman) N. Santosh Hegde, a member of the Lokpal Bill drafting committee, in curbing graft in the state.

“We want to ask on whose directions Digvijay Singh is making such statements…is it Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi or Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, or none of them? In what capacity is Digvijay issuing the statements?” Prasad asked.

“We want to know why Digvijay has always remained silent on corruption and scams related to 2G spectrum or Commonwealth Games. Digvijay Singh should first answer the charges being levelled against him for flouting rules to allow construction of a mall in Indore while being the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh,” he said.

Prasad also inaugurated an exhibition on “corruption in Mayawati government”. In the exhibition, the “corrupt practices” of Uttar Pradesh’s ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) were displayed through cartoons.