Mulayam criticises ban on distributing sops

Basti, UP, Oct 19 (UNI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav today criticised the ban imposed by the State Election Commission on distributing cheques of unemployment allowance and Kanya Vidhyadhan till the process of urban local bodies elections was on.

Mr Yadav, however, clarified that he would abide by the decision of the SEC. ''The Budget has provision for these sops and it was not appropriate to restrain me from distributing cheques...I will obey the orders,'' he told a gathering here during a function on the state polytechnic premises.

The Uttar Pradesh Raj Bhawan had asked the SEC to restrain Chief Minister Mulayam Singh from distributing sops during the ongoing urban local body elections.

In turn the SEC yesterday issued orders restraining Mr Yadav from distributing cheques of unemployment allowance and Kanya Vidyadhan between October 20 and November 3 -- till the end of the urban local body elections.

While the SEC had allowed the Chief Minister to hold functions of cheque distribution in rural areas and avoid urban areas, Governor T V Rajeswar had objected to holding of such programmes even in rural areas.

The Raj Bhawan had dashed off a letter to the SEC asking it to restrain the Chief Minister from holding such programmes. After receiving the letter, state election commissioner Aparmita Prasad Singh had consulted legal experts before taking a decision.

On October 11, when the SEC had met the Governor, the matter of cheque distribution was discussed. The SEC had assured that such programmes would be organised outside the municipal limits.

But the Governor thought that despite holding such programmes outside urban areas, it would be impossible to know about the beneficiaries -- whether they live in rural or urban areas.

''Therefore, in a bid to check any possible complaints and to ensure a free and fair poll, the Raj Bhawan asked the SEC to restrain the Chief Minister or any other political functionary from holding such functions till the polls were over,'' sources explained.

The SEC had allowed AICC president Sonia Gandhi to attend a function related to Lifeline Express at Uchahar in Rae Bareli, her parliamentary constituency, yesterday.

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