Lodge FIRs against two BSP ministers: UP Lokayukta

The noose tightened against BSP leaders Monday with the Uttar Pradesh Lokayukta asking Chief Minister Akhlish Yadav to lodge first information reports (FIR) against two former ministers for corruption.

While Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief and former chief minister Mayawati got off the hook in the multi-crore memorial scam being probed by the Lokayukta, two of her senior ministers -- Babu Singh Kushwaha and Naseemuddin Siddiqui -- were indicted for siphoning off huge amounts of public money.

In a voluminous report submitted to the chief minister after a year of investigation, Uttar Pradesh Lokayukta N.K. Mehrotra detailed how a nexus of bureaucrats, BSP office bearers and ministers "plundered" the state coffers to build memorials in Lucknow and Noida.

Mehrotra has also recommended lodging of FIRs against 199 people and formation of a special task force (STF) to probe the matter. Those named in the report include public representatives, officials of the Uttar Pradesh Rajkiya Nirman Nigam (UPRNN) and public works department (PWD) engineers and lawyers, among others.

The economic offences wing (EOW) had assisted the ombundsman in the probe and submitted its report to him April 15.

In purchasing and making of statues of Bhimrao Ambedkar and elephants (the BSP symbol), the Lokayukta has found the BSP government guilty of siphoning off Rs.1,400 crore.

Other than the two former ministers, 54 engineers, five mining officials, five officials of Lucknow Development Authority, two former and a sitting legislator, 37 accountants and 60 firms have been made accused in the report.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demanded immediate action against the two BSP ministers.

"In the past one year, the chief minister has shown no will to act against corrupt BSP ministers. We hope to see some action now," said Vijay Bahadur Pathak, spokesman of the state BJP.