Centre trying to malign BSP's image: Mayawati on ED expose

Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Monday lashed out the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) detected deposits of over Rs 104 crore in an account belonging to the BSP and Rs 1.43 crore in an account belonging to party supremo Mayawati’s brother Anand in a branch of United Bank of India in New Delhi.

Dismissing allegations that Rs 104 crore was deposited into an account belonging to the BSP after demonetisation, party supremo Mayawati claimed that the Centre was trying to malign the BSP’s image by misusing official machinery.

Mayawati said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wants to tarnish her party’s image due to the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

The BSP chief claimed that all deposits into banks had been made as per norms, and the money was collected from public donations before demonetisation came into effect.

“We have an account of every rupee deposited in bank. But what about deposits made by BJP”? Mayawati asked.

"I want to tell Prime Minister Modi that if you have any honesty and sincerity.... you should make public any major expense, statement of deposits and expenditures of the BJP. Let is all be out in the open," she said addressing a press conference in Lucknow.

Officials said the agency, Enforcement Directorate, as part of its routine survey and enquiry operations to check suspicious and huge cash deposits in banks, visited the Karol Bagh branch of the UBI on Monday and found huge deposits made in the accounts of the BSP and Mayawati's brother post demonetisation.

They said the sleuths called for the records of the deposits made in the BSP account and found that while Rs 102 crore was deposited in Rs 1,000 notes, the rest Rs 3 crore was deposited in the old Rs 500 notes.

Officials said they were astonished to find huge cash of about Rs 15-17 crore being deposited every other day.

The agency also detected another account in the same branch belonging to Anand, brother of BSP chief Mayawati, where a total of Rs 1.43 crore funds was found. A sum of 18.98 lakh came into account using the old notes after the ban.

The ED has sought full details about the two accounts from the bank even as it is understood that the agency will write to the Income Tax department which has the powers to go into the legality of donations and contributions made to political parties.

The ED has also asked the bank to provide to it CCTV footage and KYC documents used to open the accounts, they said.

With regard to Anands’s accounts, it is understood, that the agency will soon issue notices to him and also intimate the I-T sleuths for investigation under anti-tax evasion laws.

The agency has been carrying out enquiry operations at over 50 bank branches to check possible instances of hawala dealings and money laundering after the government scrapped the two high value currencies of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 on November 8.