Quattrocchi move shows Congress desperation: Mayawati

Terming CBI's move to ask Interpol to take off Bofors case accused Ottavio Quattrocchi from its list of wanted people as an "act of desperation" by Congress, UP Chief Minister Mayawati today demanded that the decision be revoked and the guilty in the scam be punished.        

"Our government demands from the Centre to immediately revoke the CBI decision to give clean chit to Italian businessman Quattrocchi, who is an accused in Bofors payoff scam. Strict action should be taken against culprits of the scam," she told reporters here.  

Terming the development as "act of desperation" of Congress, Mayawati said that it seemed that after being discarded by the electorate the party had lost hope of forming the next government at the Centre. Mayawati hit out at the BJP too saying in its six-year regime at the Centre the party kept mum on the issue of Quattrocchi.         

"Quattrocchi's name figured in the payoff scam and the way in which CBI decided to take off his name from red corner notice of Interpol is condemnable", she said.          

"Due to fear of leaving the government, Congress is misusing CBI and giving clean chit to all its men while framing its rivals," the BSP supremo said adding that the way in which Jagdish Tytler was given clean chit in an anti-sikh riots case too showed Congress' desperation.

"The way in which senior leader of the Congress is openly threatening to misuse CBI in election rallies during Lok Sabha polls showed that the party can do anything to save those close to him and frame others," Mayawati alleged.        

 Accusing Congress-led UPA government of being anti-dalit, Mayawati claimed that Rs 72,000 crore alloted by the Planning Commission under special component plan for welfare of dalits was not released by the Centre.  This has "exposed the reality of its dalit love", Mayawati said.