Mayawati says deposits legal, Centre misusing power

New Delhi: BSP supremo Ms Mayawati on Tuesday attacked the Centre for deliberately using the government machinery to target her since she was a dalit, after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) detected huge deposits in the BSP and her brother’s bank accounts.

Rejecting her allegations as “baseless,” Union minister and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad asked if the huge amount of money deposited in her party’s bank account was a “money conversion exercise.”

At a hurriedly convened press conference, in Lucknow, Ms Mayawati also alleged that the ruling BJP was resorting to arm-twisting since the crucial Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh are just round the corner. “All deposits are as per norms and party rules and the money was collected before note ban. Should we have thrown it?” she said.

“After I exposed the conspiracy of BJP in forcing an alliance between SP and Congress on Monday, BJP was taken aback and out of sheer frustration it indulged in such a petty act against BSP and family members of the party chief,” she said.

Talking about the deposits, she said, “We have account of every rupee deposited in bank...This money has been collected through membership fee all over the country and brought for deposit by converting it into big denomination notes as it is easy to carry from remote areas.”

Ms Mayawati challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying if he is so honest, he should disclose the bank transactions made by his party 10 months before the demonetisation came into effect. The BSP chief also called the PM, the BJP and its chief Amit Shah “anti-dalit.”

As the BSP supremo breathed fire at the PM, the BJP on Tuesday hit back at her asking whether it (the huge amounts in banks) was the real reason for her opposing the note ban decision since day one. The BJP also accused Ms Mayawati of using her dalit identity to hide “corruption” and asked why she was “rattled” by ED’s “routine exercise.”

“Does Mayawati want to say that her corruption should be seen as a fight against dalits? It is an insult of dalits,” said Mr Prasad while noting that she did not deny the deposits in the BSP’s account. “It raises a bigger question. Is it a donation or money conversion exercise,” he asked while adding that “development of dalits and deprived cannot be mortgaged to corruption.”

The BSP supremo claimed that Rs 104 crore found in her party’s bank account in Delhi had come by way of political donations and that those were converted into high denomination notes before being deposited after the note ban kicked in on November 8.

“Small currencies were converted into bigger bills and the money was not deposited in September and October but soon after demonetisation. It also raised suspicion. Now we are getting signals of why she has been opposing the note ban from Day one,” he said.

Rejecting her claim that the ED’s action was linked to her assertion that the BJP was pushing SP and Congress for an alliance for the UP Assembly polls, the Union minister said “This is nothing but her frustration. She made these comments only yesterday while deposits were made much earlier. As far as BJP is concerned, even if SP, BSP and Congress come together, it will emerge victorious.”

When asked about her demand that BJP too make public the donations it has received, Mr Prasad said all parties submit these details to the Election Commission which puts it on its website.