Honorarium, free bus travel for MISA, DIR detenues from UP

Lucknow, June 26 (UNI) The Mulayam Singh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh today announced it would give a honorarium and free bus travel facilities to MISA and DIR detenues during the Emergency from April 1, 2006.

Announcing this, at the conference of the detenues on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the Emergency, Mr Yadav claimed the situation in the country at present was similar to that during 1975.

''The only work of present Congress-led government at the centre is to target the opposition parties particulary Samajwadi Party, while it has failed to give respite to the common man like they have done during emergency,'' he said.

''The supporting parties including the Left should take a lesson from the Congress as how much they would create problems for the country, if it gets a majority in general elections,'' Mr Yadav added.

The CM announced Rs 500 per month honorarium from April 2006 and free bus travel in UP along with a companion to all MISA and DIR detenues.

He also assured the gathering that more sops would be given in near future, including a citation. The allowances would be hiked, if his government returned to power after the 2007 assembly polls.

In his speech, the SP supremo lashed on the ''discrimination policy'' adopted by the centre against UP.

''While on one hand, they are blaming UP for non-development, but on the other they are putting a spanner to derail the works done in UP,'' he alleged.

Mr Yadav also reiterated business groups, including the Sahara group, are being targetted by the centre and a conspiracy is been hatched against them for harrassment.

NDA convenor and socialist leader George Fernandes, who was the chief guest at the conference, also supported the views of Mr Yadav saying the situation in the country under the Congress rule has increased the misery of people.

He called upon the people to launch a movement like during the Emergency period so that the people's aspirations are fulfilled at the earliest.

Several other prominent leaders of SP, most of them detenues of MISA or DIR including MPs Reoti Raman Singh, Janeshwar Mishra, Bhagwati Singh, Mohan Singh, assembly speaker Mata Prasad Pandey, alongwith several ministers of the state government, attended the conference.

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