BSP News :
BSP nominates nine members to UP Legislative Council Lucknow, May 27, 2009
The Mayawati government has nominated nine members to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council but the ruling BSP will still not have an edge in the 100-member House.
Those nominated to the Council are K K Gautam, Vinay Shakya, Naushad Ali, Gopal Narain Mishra, Sudhir Goel, Ram Chandra Pradhan, Mangal Singh Saini, Meghraj Singh and M L Tomar.
Of them, Pradhan headed the Awas Bandhu housing body, while Mishra was chairman of State Warehousing Corporation. Shakya had lost the Lok Sabha election to SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav in Mainpuri, while Gautam was defeated in Machlishahar seat.
The seats fell vacant following the retirement of five BSP MLCs anf four BJP MLCs.
Reference: http://hindustantimes.com/
Bahan Mayawati Ji asks Dalits to capture political power to ensure justice Jalandhar, June 04, 2009
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Thursday asked the Dalits to capture political power to ensure equality and justice for all.
"Unless and until Dalits do not hold the key to power, such type of attacks would continue to derail any attempt to bring social reforms", she said and termed the killing of Sikh sect Dera Sachkhand leader Sant Rama Nand in Vienna as a "deep conspiracy" to derail Ravidass mission initiated by him to bring social reforms.
"The Vienna attack was a deep conspiracy to derail the Ravidass Mission which was launched by Sants of Dera Sachkhand to bring social reforms", Mayawati, who came to attend the funeral ceremony of Sant Rama Nand at Ballan near here, told reporters.
The BSP president, however, said it would not be proper to reveal the "conspiracy details" at this juncture but she would surely make them public later.
"I have written a letter to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and will meet him very soon to take up the issue with Austrian authorities and demand speedy probe into the Vienna attack so that the guilty could be punished", she added.
Mayawati alleged Sant Rama Nand was "rightly propagating" Guru Ravidass' preaching on social transformation among the masses and his killing was a "major setback" for Ravidass mission.Maya asks Dalits to capture political power to ensure justice
Reference: http://hindustantimes.com/
Justice for Dalit victims on same day LUCKNOW,
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has ordered that henceforth top police officers would visit areas where atrocities are committed on the Dalits on the same day of incidents.
She said that the Director-General of Police, the Superintendent of Police and Senior Superintendent of Police of the area concerned would ensure that justice was delivered to the victims on the same day.
The media should be informed immediately of the action taken.
Officers to visit areas and submit report on same day The Chief Minister directed the DGP and the Principal Secretary (Home) that in incidents related to murder or rape of Dalits, the area would be visited by the DGP, who would submit a report to her the same day.
Addressing a law and order review meeting here on Monday, Ms. Mayawati made it clear that officers below the rank of SP should not be sent to areas where excesses were committed on the Dalits.
If the district police chief was on leave, the DIG, or the IG should conduct an investigation and ensure justice.
Regarding the pendency of cases related to land deeds (“pattas”) of the Dalits, Ms. Mayawati directed that all pending cases should be disposed of by July 15. The report should be submitted to the government within 10 days. She said strict action would be taken against officials if the cases were kept pending.
Transparency should be maintained in the allotment of land deeds to the poor, Ms. Mayawati said, and added that irregularities and exploitation would not be tolerated.
The Chief Minister fixed accountability on the SP, SSP, DIG and IG for ensuring that the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act was not misused and directed them that an impartial inquiry be conducted in fake cases.
Ms. Mayawati emphasised improvement of the law and order situation and speeding up of development works.
The thana and tehsil "divas" should be made more effective.The meeting was attended by senior administrative and police officials.
Reference: http://www.hindu.com/
Bahan Mayawati Ji wants Centre to focus on schemes for Dalits LUCKNOW, June 5 , 2009
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Friday said the Centre should pay greater attention to implementing the schemes for the welfare of Dalits and other weaker sections of society.
Reacting to President Pratibha Patil’s address to Parliament, Ms. Mayawati said in a statement that there was nothing new in the programmes announced for Dalits and other weaker sections. The welfare programmes should be implemented without discrimination.
The UPA government was silent on the schemes it had announced for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and deprived sections. One such issue was giving reservation to SCs/STs in the private sector.
Ms. Mayawati said she had written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, seeking quota for SCs/STs in the private sector, judiciary and legislature.
The Chief Minister wanted an action plan formulated for implementing the Sachar panel recommendations on the welfare of Muslims.
She alleged that the loan waiver scheme benefited only rich farmers, who had taken loans from banks.
She wanted steps taken for waiving the loans taken by Dalits.
Instead of 100-day employment, jobs for the whole year should be provided under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme.
The Chief Minister’s statement was released by Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh here.
Talking to journalists, Mr. Singh claimed that contrary to the Opposition propaganda on the law and order situation, there was a fall in the number of incidents of crime.
Reference: http://www.hindu.com/
Allahabad High Court Stopped Development of UP Allahabad, May 30 , 2009
The Allahabad High Court has barred the Uttar Pradesh Government from proceeding ahead on the ambitious eight-laned Ganga Expressway project and directed the concerned authorities to obtain prior clearance from environmental board.
A bench comprising Justice Ashok Bhusan and Justice Arun Tandon on Friday passed this order on the petition filed by two voluntary organisations, which questioned the environmental feasibility of the project.
The Court has stayed further work on over 1000 kilometres long project that would connect the eastern and western boundaries of Uttar Pradesh because of environmental concerns.
"The Allahabad High Court has restrained the proceedings of The Ganga-Express way, the 1100 kilometre long expressway from Noida to Ballia because of environmental issues. The project was started by the Mayawati government," said Arun Kumar Gupta, counsel for petitioners.
Further he informed that court has also asked the state government to obtain clearance from the state-level Environment Impact Assessment Authority.The High Court has also quashed the earlier environmental clearance granted by the Environmental Protection Authority. The court also directed UP government not to proceed with the highway project unless and until it obtains a due clearance from the state-level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA)," Gupta added.
CBI's clean chit to Quattrocchi unmasks Congress: Lucknow, April 28, 2009
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Tuesday condemned the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) decision to give a clean chit to Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, the lone surviving suspect in the Bofors gun payoff case, and alleged that the Congress-led government was misusing the investigating agency.
"Congress misusing the CBI for its own interest has been evident. And now the CBI's decision to remove Ottavio Quattrocchi from its list of wanted persons has once again unmasked the Congress," Mayawati told reporters at a press conference here.
Terming the CBI's decision as "unfortunate", Mayawati demanded that the central government ensure that the investigating agency takes back its decision so that strict action could be taken against the accused.
She also accused the Congress of "influencing" the CBI after which the agency gave a clean chit to Congress leader Jagdish Tytler, accused in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.
"By misusing the CBI, the Congress protects its corrupt leaders and targets its political opponents. Its (Congress) leaders are blatantly announcing that they can use CBI against political rivals for their own interest," Mayawati said.
The chief minister also attacked the Congress-led central government for ignoring the development of her state.
She alleged that the central government's claims of having provided financial assistance to Uttar Pradesh were false.
"It becomes evident with the fact that the central government has yet not released the special relief package of Rs.80, 000 crore (Rs.800 billion) we had sought several months ago.
"The Congress-led central government has not provided any separate financial package to Uttar Pradesh," she added.
Reference: http://www.hindustantimes.com
Congress nervous about BSP's rise, says Mayawati Saturday, April 25, 2009 (Ramaipur (Uttar Pradesh) )
Stung by Prime Minister's criticism of her government's track-record on development, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Saturday claimed Manmohan Singh was being misled on the issue by Congress state leaders as the party was nervous about Bahujan Samaj Party's growing support base.
"The Prime Minister is not at fault. He will speak what the Congress leaders will tell him to say," Mayawati said at an election rally in Ramaipur.
Questioning the BSP government's performance on the development and law and order fronts, the Prime Minister had, at a rally in the district on Friday, alleged that its "failure" to implement the Central schemes was responsible for the dismal situation in the state.
The BSP supremo on Saturday rejected Singh's statement saying, "The Congress is very nervous about the growing support base of the Bahujan Samaj Party and therefore its leaders are resorting to giving misleading statements."
She said while the Congress was blaming her party for the lack of development in UP, it was the UPA government which had rejected her demand for a Rs 80,000-crore development package which forced her party to withdraw support to the alliance.
"The Congress ruled the state for 40 years and was at the helm at the Centre for 50 years, but was not able to improve the condition in the state. How can it now blame us when we have not completed even five years in office?," Mayawati asked.
The Chief Minister claimed the situation was gradually improving in the state.
"Development works have been launched and the law and order situation has also improved. There is no longer 'goonda raj' in the state. Most of the criminals are either in jail or have been killed by the police and others have fled the state," she claimed.
Mayawati said the bureaucracy too was working properly as now the officials knew that they will be punished for erring.
Singh had said the morale of the government machinery was down as officials were living "in the constant fear of being transferred.
Reference: http://news.tolmol.com/
Congress has most candidates with criminal records in phase II
Nearly 300 candidates with criminal records from different political parties are fighting the second phase of Lok Sabha polls on April 23, with the Congress party topping the list with 40, according to a survey.
According to an analysis by an NGO, National Election Watch, of the 1,425 candidates in the fray for the second phase, 288 have criminal records.
The first phase had 222 candidates with criminal records.
In the second phase, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with 33 comes second, while the Samajwadi Party is third with 24 and the Bahujan Samaj Party has 12 such candidates.
Among the states, Bihar tops the list with 60 candidates with criminal backgrounds followed by Maharashtra with 58, Uttar Pradesh with 39 and Jharkhand with 34 such candidates.
BSP will repeat UP success in Maharashtra
PUNE: If a state like Uttar Pradesh with a population of 20 crore could successfully combine the extreme ends of social spectrum, Brahmins and Dalits, to form a formidable political force under Mayawati, there was no reason why the same formula could not work in Maharashtra, BSP general secretary, Satish Chandra Mishra, said here on Sunday.
Addressing the first ever public rally organised by BSP candidate D S Kulkarni, at Ramanbaug, Mishra said every government, since independence, had largely ignored the well being of Brahmins and Dalits.
There is no surprise, that each successive government, busy trying to devise ways of making the rich still richer, had lost sight of the fact that 90 per cent of the Brahmins live in as pitiable conditions as the Dalits do, in the country.
Unravelling the magic of how BSP, became the first party in Uttar Pradesh to procure a majority in the last 17 years, Mishra said the BSP, had for long had got stuck at 18 and the Brahmins at less than 5, in the 403 assembly seats in the UP.
Once Mayawati moved to get the two together, they climbed up all the way to a whopping 107 ( 62 Dalits and 45 Brahmins) and helped by other communities, got to a stunning figure of 220 in the UP assembly, Mishra said.
Mishra, who is largely credited with the social engineering experiment in Uttar Pradesh said he was struck with the innovative ideas that the bigger parties bring out in their manifestos over how they would work to eradicate poverty. “If they really meant what they claimed, I wonder how come poverty continues to stick on the face of the 90 per cent people in this country," Mishra asked.
Without naming the Congress, Mishra said, when the British left they disclosed their mantra of how a handful of people could rule this massive country for 200 years to a chosen family in India. “The mantra was simple, divide the people on caste and communal lines and enjoy being in power even as the people keep fighting," Mishra said saying it was time people opened their eyes and saw the truth.
http://www.sakaaltimes.com/2009/04/21132258/BSP-will-repeat-UP-success-in.html
Congress openly misusing CBI: BSP's Satish Misra
The Congress-led central government is "openly misusing" the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against political opponents, particularly Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) alleged Wednesday.
"The threatening comments made by (Congress leader) Digvijay Singh in an election rally amply prove that the CBI is a puppet of the Congress," BSP general secretary Satish Misra said at a press conference here.
At a rally Monday in Mallwan locality in Hardoi, about 110 km from here, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh reportedly said the centre would "use" the CBI against BSP chief Mayawati if she continued to harass Congress workers.
Misra said: "Digvijay himself has exposed the real face of the Congress party that makes the CBI work on its terms and conditions. It was this CBI that registered a disproportionate assets case against Mayawati merely at the direction of the Congress," alleged Misra.
The CBI had registered a disproportionate assets case against Mayawati in 2003. "As the case is pending in the Supreme Court, we will now apprise the apex court about the ill-intention of the Congress in connection with the disproportionate assets case," said Misra.
He demanded the Congress party and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi seek pardon for Digvijay Singh's comments.
Misra said the CBI clean chit to Congress leader Jagdish Tytler in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots was another example of the "Congress misusing the CBI".
"There is great resentment amongst the Sikh community and in the coming days, the Congress will have to face serous results."
Misra also accused the Election Commission of being biased towards opposition parties, especially the Congress.
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/congress-openly-misusing-cbi-bsps-satish-misra_100183039.html
UP CM greets Ambedkar Jayanti ( Lucknow | Monday, Apr 13 2009 )
Ms. Mayawati today extended her heartiest felicitations and good wishes to the people of the state on the 118th birth anniversary of the architect of the Indian Constitution Baba Saheb Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar.
In a message here, the CM said Dr Ambedkar strived for the cause of the dalits, backwards, minorities and the exploited people. The society would remember his contribution in the uplift of minority people, she added.
http://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20090413/1225456.html
Mayawati's BSP perfect choice for UP royal families ( 29 Mar 2009 )
Mayawati SEEMS to be the perfect choice for the royal families of Uttar Pradesh when it comes to realising their political ambitions. The recent flurry of activity in parts of Uttar Pradesh proves just that.
It began with the erstwhile Raja of Ayodhya, Bimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra’s plunge into politics when he joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP.)
Raja Anandsingh of Mankapur and his son Kirtivardhan Singh from Gonda followed next. They ventured into the BSP after a stint with the Samajwadi Party.
And now it is the Raja of Daryabad, Rai Swareshwar Bali alias Sanjay Bali, who joined the BSP in the BSP joining meeting on March 26 held in Daryabad. The meeting was headed by Lalji Verma, Finance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister in the UP Government.
The head of the erstwhile ruling family of Daryabad joined the party along with 150 members of local bodies.
According to sources, it is under Bali’s influence that the Chairmen of the Nagar Panchayats of Daryabad and Tikaitnagar, Mateen Ahmed Khan and Jagdish Prasad Gupta respectively, joined the BSP on Wednesday.
As a mark of solidarity with Sanjay Bali, 1500 others too were granted primary membership of the party. In a bid to mobilize the youth of the constituency, Bali’s son Sanidhya Bali alias Samrat Bali delivered a speech addressing the youngsters of the area which received a good response as junior Bali was joined by hundreds of young supporters in a padyatra from his house to the venue of the meeting.
Sanjay Bali is already in the peoples’ hearts because of the family’s long and successful association with the town and adjoining areas and this will give an edge to the BSP.
He left the SP because he felt the party betrayed him by not granting him a ticket for the MLA elections despite his active participation in the party’s activities for the past 12 years.
http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=15762343
BSP declares first list of Lok Sabha candidates 2009 in Gujarat (Ahmedabad | Saturday, Apr 4 2009)
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has come out with its first list of 18 candidates from Gujarat for the Lok Sabha elections.
"As already announced the BSP would be fielding candidates from all the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat. The rest of the names of the candidates would be announced early next week," BSP's Gujarat unit in-charge Pyaarelal Jatav said Saturday.
He said the names of the nominees from the seats reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates were Ramsingh Kalara (Dahod), Prakash Bhil (Chhota Udepur), Ranjana Gamit (Bardoli) and Chagan Patel (Valsad). The candidates from constituencies reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) were Pravin Solanki (Ahmedabad-West) and Mohan Namori (Kutch)
The names of the other candidates are - Bhavesh Bhatt (Ahmedabad-East), Suresh Mali (Banaskantha), Vikramsingh Ramalavat (Sabarkantha), Rudratsingh Jhala (Mehsana), Mehboob Kokhar (Patan), Dalichand Patel (Rajkot), Usha Patel (Amreli), Mukesh Patel (Anand), Ratansingh Chauhan (Kheda), Samarnath Singh (Navsari), Prakash Barot (Panchmahals) and Mehul Chandrawadia (Porbandar).
View Candidates List from Gujarat
BSP announces first list of 24 candidates for Lok Sabha Polls in Madurai
(Tamilnadu | Friday, Apr 3 2009)
The Tamilnadu unit of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) tonight released the first list of 24 candidates for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. Party's National General Secretary Dr Suresh Mane in the presence of party's National President Mayawati at an election campaign rally said the candidates were the mixture of all communities of people.
View Candidates List from Tamil Nadu
BSP would form a role model government at the Centre if wins (Tamilnadu | Friday, Apr 3 2009)
Stating that the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is always striving for the welfare and uplift of the society, party chief and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati said her party will form a role model government at the Centre if voted to power in the coming Lok Sabha polls.
Addressing an election campaign rally and a mammoth public meeting here tonight, Ms Mayawati appealed to the voters of the state to vote for BSP for a casteless society, equitable development, egalitarian society, consistency in progress, rooting out terrorism, empowering people, womens welfare, eradication of poverty and sustainable farming.
Dismissing the allegations that BSP is a caste-based party which opposes the uppre castes, she said the party had given opportunity to three from Brahmin community, three Muslims, Christians and other caste people in the BSP candidates list to fight the Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu.
Urging the people to reject the anti-people Congress and BJP parties in the polls, she said the BSP had neither fallen in the feet of any one for forging an alliance nor did it pleaded to anyone for achieving victory. She appealed to the party functionaries and workers to work for the victory of the party in all the forty seats in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry.
Mayawati to launch campaign in Himachal Pradesh Thursday (Shimla, | Thursday, Apr 1 2009)
Shimla, April 1 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati would start her party’s Lok Sabha election campaign in Himachal Pradesh with a rally at Una town Thursday.
The rally at Una, 127 km from the state capital, would mark the start of the BSP's election campaign in the hill state, BSP Shimla district president K.C. Bhatia told IANS Wednesday.
"Mayawati would also officially announce the party candidates for all the four seats in the state," he said.
The hill state has four Lok Sabha seats - Shimla (Scheduled Castes reserved), Mandi, Hamirpur and Kangra - and will go to the polls May 13.
Bhatia said S.N. Pathania would be the BSP’s candidate from the Kangra seat, Lala Ram Sharma from Mandi and Mela Ram Sharma from Hamirpur.
View Candidates List from Himachal Pradesh
Ref: http://www.sindhtoday.net/south-asia/81916.htm
BSP welcomes SC decision on Sanjay Dutt (New Delhi | Mar 31, 2009 )
Welcoming the Supreme Court decision on Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, BSP on Tuesday said that Samajwadi Party was expecting the decision and only doing "drama".
"Samajwadi Party were doing 'dramebazi' here as they were expecting that such decision will be coming from the Supreme Court," said Satish Chandra Mishra, BSP national general secretary.
"BSP candidate (Akhilesh Das) from here is very strong and we will win the seat," said Mishra.
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court disallowed Dutt's plea to contest the coming Lok Sabha elections.
The actor had been fielded by SP as its candidate for the Lucknow Lok Sabha seat.
BSP candidates list for Lok Sabha polls from Karnataka (Bangalore | Mar 28, 2009 )
BANGALORE: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has finalised candidates for 15 of the 28 Lok Sabha constituencies in the State.
According to the list released by BSP State unit president Marasandra Muniyappa, the party has decided to field Kannada film star Ashok from Tumkur, A.P. Ahmed from Hassan, Mohammed Hafizulla Sharief from Bangalore Rural, R.S. Patil from Belgaum, N. Muniswamy from Kolar, Laxminarayan from Chickaballapur, Vijaya Bhaskar from Bangalore (Central) and Naheeda Salma from Bangalore (South).
The other candidates are Basavanthappa Gonnemmanavar from Haveri, Shivakumar Naik Korvi from Raichur, M. Jayanna from Chitradurga, J. Jayappa from Shimoga, Mahadev B. Dhani from Gulbarga, Girish Rai from Dakshina Kannada and Steven J. Menezes from Udupi-Chikmagalur.
View Candidates List from Karnataka
http://www.hindu.com/2009/03/10/stories/2009031059320400.htm
BSP to Contest All 14 Seats in Jharkhand (Dhanbad | Mar 27, 2009 )
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will contest all the 14 parliamentary seats of Jharkhand and would have no tie-up with any other party, BSP (Jharkhand) unit in-charge Brizlal Khabari said today.
Releasing the names of the candidates from 12 seats in Jharkhand, Khabari said the names of the party contestants for Khunti and Ranchi seat would be declared later.
He said BSP supremo and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati had cleared the names of the 12 candidates from Jharkhand.
View Candidates List from Jharkhand
http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?656832
BSP list of 11 candidates for Lok Sabha polls in MP (Bhopal | Sunday, Mar 22 2009 IST )
The BSP today announced its second list of eleven candidates for Madhya Pradesh for upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
State BSP incharge Rajaram Saheb released the list on the directions of BSP Supremo Mayawati.
View MP Candidate List
http://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20090322/1205574.html
BSP Releases Candidate List for UP (Lucknow | Mar 20, 2009)
BSP chief Mayawati has released the list of party candidates for all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh (UP) and announced that she would launch her nationwide campaign from Kerala tomorrow.
"Tomorrow, I will kick-start the BSP national campaign from Kerala with a rally in Thiruvananthapuram," she told a press conference.
The UP Chief Minister also released the party's 'Special Appeal' to the electorate in UP. "In the Special Appeal, I have raised certain issues and I will urge them to vote for BSP based on those issues," she said.
She said that she would be campaigning across the country non-stop from tomorrow till May 11, but would take care of her official duties. "I will always return to the state after campaigning. I will not neglect the UP government," she said.
The BSP Supremo said she would come out with the list of party candidates from rest of the country in four-five days.
View Candidate List
Reference: http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?656256
Mayawati decides: BSP will fight polls alone
New Delhi:
The Bahujan Samaj Party will not form an alliance with any other political party for the general elections, said BSP chief and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Sunday.
"This time the Bahujan Samaj Party will fight the elections on its own. It will not align with any other political party," Mayawati told reporters at a function in New Delhi on the birth anniversary of BSP founder Kanshi Ram.
"The BSP has decided to contest elections to the fifteenth Lok Sabha all alone in all the states and it will have no electoral alliance with any party before the polls," said Mayawati.
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BSP has finalized the Lok Sabha candidate for the seven seats of the Delhi.
Samajwadi Party MP joins Bahujan Samaj Party
Lucknow: LUCKNOW: The rebel Samajwadi Party Member of Parliament from Moradabad, Shafiqur Rehman Barq, joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Saturday amid reports that he will contest the coming Lok Sabha election from Sambhal in Moradabad district in Uttar Pradesh on the BSP ticket.
Mr. Barq met the BSP leader and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mayawati, before announcing his decision at a press conference here.
A former Congress MLA, Afroz Ali Khan, also joined the BSP along with him.
Mr. Barq accused Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh of playing the “Hindu card” by aligning with former Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kalyan Singh. Mr. Barq described Mr. Kalyan Singh as the demolisher of the Babri Masjid.
Mr. Barq’s entry into the ruling party in the State was widely anticipated after he was denied the Samajwadi Party nomination from Sambhal for the coming Lok Sabha elections.
The Moradabad MP has joined the BSP within a fortnight of the former Samajwadi MP from Gonda, Kirti Vardhan Singh, shifting his loyalties to Ms. Mayawati.
Mr. Kirti Vardhan Singh, in fact, was given the Samajwadi ticket from Gonda; yet he left the party. He will contest the Lok Sabha election from Gonda on the BSP ticket.
Another Samajwadi MP, Afzal Ansari, also joined the BSP recently amid reports that he will contest the polls from Ghazipur.
Mahmud Zafar Rahmani, Sardar Javed, Haji Raees Ansari, Mohammad Hasan and Haji Mukhtar from Rampur district also joined the BSP along with Mr. Barq on Saturday.
http://www.hindu.com/2009/02/15/stories/2009021554520700.htm
Former India Cricketer Chetan Sharma joins BSP
Lucknow: Former Indian cricketer Chetan Sharma has joined Bahujan Samaj Party and was declared party candidate from Faridabad Lok Sabha seat of Haryana.
Mr. Sharma declared here on Sunday in presence of BSP national general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra that he would contest the coming Lok Sabha polls from Faridabad in Haryana.
Former Indian cricket team captain Kapil Dev congratulated Mr. Sharma for his decision of joining politics and contesting elections. "I hope that Mr. Sharma would succeed in the politics as well," Mr. Dev said.
http://www.thehindu.com/2009/02/10/stories/2009021050880300.htm
Mahamaya Gharib Balika Ashirvad Yojana for 4.5 lakh Poor Girls (Jan 16th 2009)
Lucknow, Jan 9(UNI) Uttar Pradesh cooperative minister Swami Prasad Maurya has been appointed the new The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Ms.
Mayawati launched the Mahamaya Gharib Balika Ashirvad Yojana at her official residence here Thirsday on 15 January. This scheme would benefit girls born on or after January 15, 2009. It would benefit about 4.5 lakh girls and an annual amount of Rs. 900 crore would be incurred on the Scheme.
Giving this information on the occasion of her birthday, she said that under this scheme, the lump sum amount would be put as a fixed deposit or invested in the NSCs for a period of 18 years after the birth of the girl. The beneficiary girl would get an amount of Rs. one lakh, if she remained unmarried till the age of 18 years.
Ms.
Mayawati said that this scheme was meant for the girls who were born in a BPL family in Uttar Pradesh on or after January 15, 2009. She said that the first girl born in the BPL family would be eligible for the scheme. If the second issue was a girl would also get the benefit. Only two girls would be benefited under this scheme. If the eligible family has legally adopted an orphaned girl and it completes all the conditions, then the girl would be taken as first girl and given the benefit of the scheme. She said that it was mandatory that the birth of the girl should be registered.
Explaining the objectives of the scheme, Ms.
Mayawati said, this scheme following its policy of Sarvjan Hitai, Sarvjan Sukhai. She said that this scheme would be very effective in checking the decreasing female ratio, girl foeticide, and giving girls respectability and making them self-reliant. This will also help create constructive thinking towards the birth of the girls, in society discouraging the child marriage and encouraging adult marriage.
The C.M. said that for taking benefit under this scheme, the applicant would have to obtain an application form from the nearest Anganbari Centre free of cost and submit the filled form along with a copy of BPL card, attested copy of the page of the birth/death register at the concerning Anganbari centre. All necessary documents would be required to be submitted with the form.
The registration would have to be made within a year of the birth of the girl. The parents of the girl would have to submit application form to the Angarbari workers within a year of the birth. The Anganbari worker would be required to extend full cooperation in filling the form and collection of the certificates from the parents of the girl.
The D.M. has been nominated as the sanctioning officer under this scheme. After the sanction by the D.M. the District Programme Officer would hand over the certificate of the deposited amount to the parents of the girl. The certificate would be mortgaged in the favour of the State Government. After the girl attains the age of 18 years and the completion of the maturity period of the fixed amount, the entire amount along with the interest, which would work out to Rs. one lakh, would be transferred in the favour of the girl by district programme officer.