Maya set to join forces with don

Mayavati has agreed to tie up with don-turned-politician D.P. Yadav, in a turnaround from her avowed policy that her party would have nothing to do with criminals.

Yadav’s Rashtriya Parivartan Dal is set to merge with the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party, taking its tally to 212 in the 403-member Assembly.

With Yadav’s party having only him and wife Umlesh as MLAs, the switchover has not attracted the anti- defection law. Speaker Sukhdev Rajbhar, from the BSP, has approved the merger.

The chief minister, who had promised to rid Uttar Pradesh of mafia politics in the run-up to last year’s Assembly polls, did not say why Yadav had become acceptable to her.

Rivals were quick to dub her crusade against the mafia a sham, saying she was encouraging goons opposed to the BJP and the Samajwadi Party.

“Mayavati’s claims that she is against anti-socials now sound hollow,” Samajwadi leader Ambika Chaudhary said.

Yadav’s entry comes a month after the arrest of Samajwadi MP Atiq Ahmad in connection with the murder of BSP legislator Raju Pal in January 2005. Mayavati has also accused him of “plotting to kill” her.

But Yadav, who had crossed over from the BSP to the Samajwadi Party in 1998 before switching to other parties, appears less of a threat. His son Vikas is an accused in the Nitish Katara murder and has been found guilty of involvement in the Jessica Lal killing.

The MLA from Badaun’s Sahswan — his wife represents nearby Bisauli — has blamed the media and his rivals for hatching a conspiracy to implicate him and his son in fake cases.

“My son is in jail (in the Jessica Lal case) for several years only because of political reasons,” Yadav said.

The BJP had offered Yadav a ticket in 2004 but withdrew it following protests from several senior leaders. The Samajwadi Party has also kept him at bay since 2000.

Yadav, who has over 28 criminal cases against him and is known to wield muscle power in the western districts of Uttar Pradesh, claimed he was “a victim of political adversaries and those who were jealous” of his business.

“I don’t think it is proper to hold any one guilty unless it is proved in court,” he said.

Yadav’s party had fielded three candidates in last year’s polls. Vikas had also contested but lost.

Having slammed the BSP when he left it in 1998, Yadav lost no time in making a quick turnaround.

He said he had “always appreciated” the BSP ideology, especially the ideals of founder Kanshi Ram. He recalled that he had won the Sambhal Lok Sabha seat on the party’s ticket earlier.

“The Sarva Samaj ideals of Mayavati has drawn international attention and all parties now fear losing their votes (to the BSP),” he added.

News Source : Samachar