Case against Mayawati: BJP says don't practice 'revenge politics'

With the Supreme Court agreeing to hear a case linked to Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati's alleged illegal wealth, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday said that one should not be afraid if there is no wrongdoing while categorically stating that it does not practice the politics of revenge.

"The honourable Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case linked to Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo over her alleged illegal wealth. This matter is sud-judice. The Supreme Court will look into the same and when there is no wrongdoing then why should one be afraid. Let it be investigated infinite number of times," said BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak.

"The Bharatiya Janata Party supports a clean politics. There is no place for revenge in democracy. The Bharatiya Janata Party has never worked with the intent of political revenge," he added.

In a major setback to Mayawati, the apex court earlier in the day agreed to hear a case linked to her alleged illegal wealth.

The Centre, however, argued before the court that there are 'no new grounds' for a new complaint against the BSP chief.

Appearing for the Centre, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, who appeared for the Centre, told the apex court that Mayawati had been cleared by the Income Tax (IT) department, which had investigated donations made to her.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister's lawyer told the court that the petitioner Kamlesh Verma, an ex-BSP member, was out for vendetta after being denied a ticket to contest elections.

"We have raised objection on the preliminary side, we have said that this petitioner is a disgruntled person, who was a BSP member earlier, and thereafter he wanted to contest election in 2007, he was denied ticket after that he has lost election from the BSP candidate and he became disgruntled and filed a political vendetta petition and it was not a Public Interest Litigation," Mayawati's lawyer Satish Mishra told ANI.

"All this aspects and all this issues will be considered because the court has not issued any action today. The court has not issued any direction and said that it will hear the case later," he added.

The move comes at a time when Uttar Pradesh is gearing up for the assembly polls scheduled to take place next year.