Now, Maya gets a chance to have a go at Mulayam in SC

NEW DELHI: If the bonhomie between Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party and the UPA government was followed by a CBI affidavit in the Supreme Court threatening to chargesheet Mayawati in the DA case, then on Thursday the UP chief minister and BSP supremo had enough reasons to smile.

For the Mayawati government got a chance to get even with her political rival in a case relating to alleged diversion of huge amounts from the CM's contingency funds by then chief minister Yadav for his brother Shivpal Yadav's Rs 100 crore Chaudhury Charan Singh Degree College at Etawah.

A petition alleging diversion of Rs 80 crore from the contingency funds by Yadav for the college was opposed by then state government in a 2006 affidavit saying there was no truth in the allegation. The apex court had also sought responses of then CM Mulayam Singh Yadav and his brother, but both did not even bother to enter appearance or file any affidavit.

Seeking early disposal of the petition filed by Mahendra Nath Rai questioning the diversion of funds, counsel D K Garg cleverly argued before a Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice P Sathasivam that as there had been a regime change since the last affidavit by the state government, the new dispensation should be asked to file a fresh one stating whether it stood by its earlier stand.

Immediately after the CBI had filed the affidavit expressing its readiness with evidence to chargesheet her, a combative Mayawati had held a series of perss conferences alleging that this decision was taken by the Centre at the behest of Yadav's Samajwadi Party, which closed ranks with the UPA government after its divorce from the Left Front.

Thursday's order of the Supreme Court directing the matter to be posted for final hearing and allowing parties to file their responses, if any, would present an opportunity to Mayawati to dig up government records pertaining to alleged diversion of funds for the Yadav family-owned educational set up at Etawah.

This order could also force both Mulayam and his brother to file their responses to the charges levelled in the petition, which was filed in the apex court three years ago.

dhananjay.mahapatra@timesgroup.com

Source : Times Of India