Mayawati releases White Paper to counter charges of corruption

LUCKNOW: Days after alleging that Congress was out to implicate her brother Anand Kumar in corruption cases, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati on Friday released a white paper, claiming complete transparency and accountability within her regime.

The white paper has been released to clear the picture, the chief minister said, because ahead of the polls early next year the opposition has resorted to paint her government as one tainted by graft.

Detailing the functioning of 24 key government departments, the white paper seeks to justify various controversial decisions, including those pertaining to liquor licences and land acquisition, privatisation of sugar mills and allotment of mega projects by the power and infrastructure department.

The white paper says a special zone comprising districts of western Uttar Pradesh was created to grant licences of liquor shops, justifying handing over the area to a prominent liquor baron. This was done to end smuggling of illicit liquor from the neighbouring states, the paper says.

While BJP has pointed fingers at her brother Anand Kumar in several land deals, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly levelled allegations of embezzlement of central funds against her government.

Speaking on behalf of the chief minister, cabinet secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh said she remains committed to her declared position that nobody from her family will be associated with either her party or government.

Singh said the government has followed due procedures and utmost transparency over the past four-and-a-half years, despite inheriting a corrupt system from the previous government.

Singh said just 1% of the state budgetary provisions were used and government agencies duly employed to build various memorials and parks constructed during her regime to honour Dalit icons. He said no monopoly has been created in the liquor business, since the excise revenue from sale of liquor has increased.

The white paper justifies allotment of farm houses and commercial and residential plots in the Noida-Greater Noida region.

Many of the decisions sought to be justified by the white paper have, however, attracted allegations of large-scale corruption and the matter has reached the Lokayukta as well in a few cases.

BJP has alleged a 3,000-crore scam in allotment of land in Noida and written to the Centre demanding a probe. Similarly, Rahul Gandhi has been saying in his recent speeches that the elephant (the symbol of the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party) has been eating all the money sent by the central government under various welfare schemes.