Maya accuses Rahul Gandhi of playing 'dirty politics'

Taking the political battle over the Noida land controversy to the next level, top Congress leaders and ministers today sharpened their attack on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, accusing her government of corruption and barbarism, even as she accused All India Congress Committee General Secretary Rahul Gandhi of indulging in “dirty politics”.

“The Uttar Pradesh government takes a bribe of Rs 3,000 per square metre for every piece of land it allots. Land is being acquired at Rs 4,000 per sq m In Noida and at Rs 3,000 per sq m in Greater Noida. Later, it is sold to private real-estate developers at much higher rates,” said Congress leader Digvijay Singh.

Attacking Mayawati, he said: “On the one hand, she is taking the land of the poor and on the other, she is constructing a 100-acre farmhouse in her village Badalpur.”

Earlier, speaking in Lucknow, Mayawati described Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the violence-hit villages as an act of “dirty politics” and stressed that the violence in Bhatta-Parsaul was not related to land acquisition.

“By spreading lies and rumours, Opposition parties are misleading people and trying to disturb the law and order situation. The Bhatta-Parsaul incident is an example of their dirty politics,” Mayawati told reporters.

Singh dismissed the criticism as “laughable”. “Rahul Gandhi has given confidence to the people of Uttar Pradesh, whereas Mayawati has only made money,” he said.

Union Minister Salman Khurshid claimed Mayawati was “jittery and losing sleep” over the tremendous support and respect Gandhi was getting both inside and outside the party.

Expressing concern over the land and order situation in Uttar Pradesh, Home Minister P Chidambaram said it was not a “happy situation”.

Criticising the Mayawati government for using force against the villagers, Singh said: “I have never seen farmers being treated with such brutality in the last 40 years.”

In a long list of demands, Singh sought a judicial inquiry into the police firing in Bhatta-Parsaul villages, immediate release of arrested villagers and no private company be allowed acquisition of land till the land owners gave their approval.

“Why is Mayawati not ordering a judicial inquiry? We request her to be sympathetic and accept our demands,” Singh said. Over demand for a new Bill for land acquisition, referring to Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, he said differences were being resolved and a new Bill would be prepared after consensus.

Singh, however, sidestepped a question on similarity of events in Noida and the Jaitapur nuclear power plant in Maharashtra. “In Jaitapur, the Opposition is against the nuclear plant and not land acquisition. Moreover, the Maharashtra chief minister has spoken to the representatives of protestors, unlike Mayawati,” he said.