Kickback In Anger

In her quid-pro-quo style, a livid Mayawati dashed off a letter last fortnight to deputy PM L.K. Advani, demanding action against Mulayam. This was in response to a videotape submitted by the SP to the UP governor, which showed Mayawati ‘directing’ her BSP legislators to donate liberally from their MP and MLA development funds. In the missive, she accused Mulayam of being guilty of the same crime, dipping liberally into the legislators’ constituency fund for personal gains.

The two-page letter, along with four pages of annexures, is written in true Mayawati style —abrasive, accusatory, shorn of any sophistication. Something, the PM and his deputy argued in Parliament, that wasn’t fit enough to be tabled in the House. Written on the evening of March 2, the letter was delivered by Mayawati’s lieutenant and ex-cabinet colleague Dharamvir Ashok to BSP MP Rashid Alavi who had it officially couriered to Advani. The letter was allegedly drafted by a UP information department babu.

The bulk of the letter is devoted to the SP tape. "At the meeting on the tape, some party workers pointed out that there is a practice in the SP of MLAs and MPs contributing Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2 lakh respectively to the party coffers" from the kickbacks they get while utilising their constituency development funds. "Our partymen suggested that perhaps BSP MPs and MLAs should also be directed to donate similarly. In this context, I told them that in my constituency no one has the guts to give or take kickbacks. But I also assured them that I’ll put their viewpoint before MPs and MLAs...."

Mayawati said she was opposed in principle to the practice of dipping into constituency funds. Says the letter: "I propose to tell MPs and MLAs that I am not in favour of this and I don’t want our people’s representatives to get involved in taking kickbacks etc.... This statement of mine has been twisted out of context by selectively editing it, as part of a political conspiracy by the SP." At that time, "I was not even in power. It is almost a year since I have been CM, but no one can accuse me of ever having drawn money for the party from the MP/MLA development funds".

In the letter, Mayawati tells her side of the story. It says the tapes were tampered with, an attempt by Mulayam to tarnish her reputation and save his own skin "because on March 4, the SP had moved a no-confidence motion against Speaker Kesri Nath Tripathi and fearing it would be defeated, shamefully withdrew it. To cover its shame and to divert public attention, the SP released this tape but hid the fact that it had nothing to do with my tenure as CM".

In the letter, Mayawati also accused Mulayam of misusing government funds to build a school in his father’s memory in Etawah as well as spending on fake institutions and schools.

The letter is, however, merely one facet of this unsavoury saga. As a follow-up, Mayawati rushed to Delhi to meet the PM to "explain" her side of the story. That wouldn’t have raised eyebrows but no sooner had she emerged from the pmo than she told TV cameras that the PM had "blessed" her. Even that would have passed, but the pmo in a mysterious move issued a denial. In response, Mayawati told journalists in Lucknow that "neither had she sought the blessings of the PM, neither had the blessings been given".

Such U-turns aren’t new in Mayawati’s political career. What’s crucial is her threat to prosecute Mulayam, a move that could set UP on fire. Even the iron lady will find the going tough then.