Cong slams Mulayam, seeks Badal's resignation

New Delhi, Mar 14 (UNI) The Congress today charged that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav was trying hard to ''avoid, postpone, obstruct or sabotage'' the CBI probe into the disproportionate assets case against him.

''Why is he(Mulayam Singh)avoiding an independent probe and why is he trying to delay the process,'' asked Congress Spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

''What does he want to suppress?'' he asked.

Mr Singhvi told mediapersons here that ever since the Supreme Court had ordered a CBI probe against the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, he had levelled serious allegations against judges and attempted to get a review order from the court.

''If he does not have anything to hide, then he should have welcomed the probe,'' he said and wondered why the Chief Minister was trying ''every trick'' to delay or postpone the probe.

Referring to framing of chargesheet against Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in a case of corruption, the Congress spokesman said, ''We have a strange spectacle of a sitting Constitutional head of a state against whom the court has ordered framing of charges.'' Mr Singhvi clarified that the Congress was not demanding resignation of the Punjab Chief Minister. ''We had contested the assembly polls and we do not grudge our defeat in the elections.

However, justice should not only be done but seem to have been done,'' Mr Singhvi said.

He pointed out that since the principal prosecuting agency is directly under the vigilance department of the State, which in turn is headed by the prime accused himself, Mr Badal should ask for transfer of his case to another agency outside the State. ''But if he insists on not getting his case transferred outside the State then he has no alternative but to go,'' the Congress spokesman added.

UNI