Only I can root out goons of SP: Mayawati

Gonda, Apr 17: Firing a salvo at the Mulayam Singh Yadav regime in Uttar Pradesh, BSP chief and former Chief Minister Mayawati today asserted that only she could root out the "goons and mafia elements" from the state. ''I am not exaggerating and everyone knows it,'' Ms Mayawati said while addressing election rallies in Basti and Gonda. "After coming to power, I would jail the mafia who are hand-in-glove with Mulayam. Therefore, he along with a section of mediamen is trying to confuse voters by showing wrong exit polls.

But their efforts will turn futile as people are with BSP,'' the former CM claimed.

Castigating the Mulayam regime, she alleged UP is far from being 'Uttam Pradesh.' There is 'jungle raj' in UP and I hold Congress, BJP and RLD equally responsible for it,'' she said.

Terming UP as a ''shelter'' for criminals, she charged ''except history-sheeters, no one is happy in UP. They are the only ones being served by CM Mulayam Singh Yadav. It is painful he is always encouraging crime.'' Expressing concern over the poor law and order condition of UP, the BSP supremo charged ''no one can deny that criminals rule the roost in the state. But sadly, Mulayam is turning a blind eye to it.'' ''The present regime works only for big industrialists and has always cheated the masses. Mr Yadav and SP general secretary Amar Singh have amassed ill-gotten wealth by siphoning funds from the state exchequer and are planning to flee the country," she alleged.

''After coming to power, I will expose everything,'' Ms Mayawati asserted.

UNI