Thaindian News

Lucknow, May 22 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Sunday flayed the central government for what she termed as a “political gimmick” of announcing compensation of Rs.50,000 to farmers injured in the May 7 clash with police over acquisition of land in Bhatta-Parsaul village in Greater Noida.

The chief minister sought to know why the Congress-led UPA government had not bothered about the two policemen who were gunned down by the “anti-social elements in the garb of agitating farmers” and whom her government had given compensation of Rs. 5 lakhs each.

Mayawati also praised the Left-affiliated All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) for giving her government a clean chit on the charges leveled by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

An AIDWA team, visiting the affected villages, ruled out mass rape or clandestine disposal of dead bodies and even refuted reports about “missing” men from the area.

“It was praiseworthy that AIDWA has acted like a truly independent body without getting guided by political considerations - unlike the National Commission of Women, that behaved like an extension of the Congress party,” said Mayawati, in a statement released here.

Interestingly, the release also sought to clarify that well before the central government chose to play its “gimmick”, the chief minister had directed the Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate to carry out an assessment of the extent of damage caused to the property of farmers during the May 7 clash.

“The district magistrate had been on the job since yesterday (Saturday) itself and was working out the details, that would ready over the next few days, after which they (the farmers) would be given some compensation,” said a senior spokesman of the chief minister’s office.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said Rs.50,000 would be given to each of the seriously injured and Rs.10,000 each to those with minor injuries.