'Madarsa rape culprits to be punished when BSP returns to power'

Lucknow, Jan 31 (UNI) Reiterating her demand for a CBI probe in the Kareli madarsa rape case, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP president Mayawati today assured that the culprits would be punished, if her party returned to power in the state.

Addressing party workers at the district collectorate complex, she charged the Mulayam Singh Yadav government with shielding the guilty. ''To defend the culprits, Samajwadi Party is refusing a CBI probe.'' ''The CM has announced Rs 2 lakh as ex gratia for the rape victims...is the amount sufficient to heal their mental wounds,'' she Queried.

BSP was today protesting the communal flare-up in Gorakhpur.

The former CM alleged Mr Yadav was heading a ''bunch of criminals''.

She claimed SP MP Atiq Ahmed wanted to grab the madarsa land in Allahabad and the rape was part of the conspiracy.

The BSP chief also charged the Mulayam government and the Opposition BJP with fomenting communal flare-up in Gorakhpur to polarise Muslim votes.

Ms Mayawati said SP and BJP were deliberately creating communal disturbance in UP ahead of the impending UP assembly poll.

''They have lost mass base...the worry of losing the assembly election is the driving force behind fomenting communal trouble to polarise votes on religious lines,'' she added.

She asked Governor T V Rajeswar to visit the riot-torn district to find out the reason behind the flare-up. ''If posible, the Governor should pressurise the state government into ordering a CBI probe into the incident.'' The former CM also sought a ban on the visit of political leaders to Gorakhpur till normalcy was restored.

''The Governor can write to the Centre, which in turn can send an all-party delegation of MPs to the district...the delegation can then file its report on the situation and the causes behind the riots to the Central government,'' she opined.

UNI