I am under house-arrest today: Mulayam

Lucknow, Jan 15: Former Uttar Pardesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav has alleged that he and his party leaders had been kept under house arrest on the behest of Chief Minister Mayawati on the occasion of latter's birthday.

''A large posse of police has been deployed at my residence and the party office to avoid any protest from the partymen with no permission to move out,''Mr Yadav told reporters at his state party headquarters this afternoon. The action from the state administration came to pre-empt possibility of any demonstration or potest from the SP workers on the occasion of the Chief Minister's birthday. Several arrests have also been made of the SP-men who, as a mock excercise, were collecting 'alms' on the street to send it to Ms Mayawati.

The SP President described the action as 'against the democratic' norms and said the 'house arrest' of SP leaders and workers clearly showed the undemocratic and dictatorial attitude of Ms Mayawati.

''May be SP men had to stage some demonstration but this is the right of any opposition party to point out the mistakes of the ruling party,'' he said.

In reply to a question, Mr Yadav said the police erected a barricading around his residence and party office since early morning and banned any entry or exit without giving any reason for this. ''Atleast, we should have been intimated of our fault,'' he fumed.

''Ridiculing the birthday bash of Ms Mayawati, the former UP CM said it was just another excercise of the BSP leader to collect money from all quarters. He questioned the conduct of some officers who were present at the 'cake-cutting' ceremony at CM's residence singling out and alleging it was unbecoming of a senior officer like the Director General of Police (DGP) to be present in uniform.

Mr Mualaym Singh Yadav, who chose not to wish Mayawati on her birthday, replied to a poser in this regard saying ''Woh meri shubhkamnayen lena hi nahi chahti hain jabki main to uneh poora ashirwad deta (she does not want my greetings while I would like to give her all the bleassings),'' he said.

Meawnhile, the SP workers tried to stage demonstration at few places in the state capital against the alleged 'extravagance' displayed on the birthday of the Chief Minister but the police deployed in plenty prevented them to do so and arrested several persons.

UNI