Unemployment allowance:Mulayam throws down gauntlet at Shiela

Mirzapur, July 28 (UNI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav today threw down the gauntlet at his Delhi counterpart and senior Congress leader Shiela Dixit on the issue of unemployment allowance being doled out by the Samajwadi Party-led government.

Countering Ms Dixit's claim, that Central funds were being diverted by the state government towards the ambitious scheme, Mr Yadav asserted she was speaking a lie. ''...Had she (Ms Dixit) not been a woman, I would have replied differently.'' Further, Mr Singh demanded Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to apologise to the people of UP, else he would make his (PM's) letter public.

Mr Yadav was referring to the PM's reply on the state government plea for financial assistance to implement the unemployment allowance scheme.

The Chief Minister was addressing a public meeting here after distributing unemployment allowance to 25,000 youth and cheques to 10,000 girl students under 'Kanya Vidya Dhan Yojna'.

''The state government is giving such allowances from its own resources and the same was also mentioned in the SP manifesto,'' the former Defence Minister added.

Mr Yadav announced the unemployment allowance would be hiked to Rs 1,000 from Rs 500 per month, if SP regained power after the 2007 assembly polls.

''The allowance will be hiked further from Rs 1,000, if more resources could be generated,'' he assured.

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