Mayawati blames SP, BJP, Cong for Varanasi blasts

Varanasi/Lucknow, Mar 8 (UNI) Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and BSP president Mayawati today blamed the ruling Samajwadi Party, the BJP and the Congress for the Varanasi blasts, while the BJP said they whre a result of the UPA Govrnments policy of minority appeasement.

Talking to reporters at the state capital this evening, Ms Mayawati also charged the Uttar Pradesh government with hiding the actual death toll. ''I spoke with the district administration and police officials...All of them gave varied figures.'' She said the UPA government at the Centre should carry out a CBI probe into lapses by the Mulayasm Singh Yadav government, which led to the blast''. ''The state government should be booked with charges of negligence,'' she added.

The BSP chief claimed that since the BJP had ''helped'' Mr Yadav form a government, it was equally responsible for the blasts.

''The Congress continues to support the Mulayam government, therefore, is equally responsible, she said.

Earlier, addressing the media at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) after meeting the blast victims, she flayed state the government.

''The terrorists are responsible. But, the UP government shares equal responsibility as it failed to prevent the tragedy despite intelligence inputs that religious sites could be targetted...After the Ayodhya fidayeen attack, the government should have remained vigilant,'' she observed.

She sought the dismissal of the Mulayam Singh Yadav government for its ''failure'' on the law and order front.

BJP national president Rajnath Singh appealed to BJP workers across India not to celebrate Holi to protest the blasts.

He asserted that the blasts were the result of UP government's policy of appeasing Muslims. ''The results of the Muslim appeasement are fast appearing.'' Meanwhile, in the state capital, senior Samajwadi Party leader and state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mohd Azam Khan said the blasts were aimed at creating communal discord in the state .

''People who target innocent men, women and children cannot be termed as humans...they have no right to stay alive. The state government is keeping a strict vigil and all efforts are being made to nab the culprits,'' he assured.

A total of 63 wounded are admitted at the Sir Sunder Lal hospital of BHU. The more thatn 40 other injured are admitted at three other hospitals of the city, including district hospital and two private hospitals.

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