Maya sets aside Mulayam's recent decisions

Lucknow, May 13: Newly-elected Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today ordered quashing of all the administrative decisions taken by the Mulayam government after the announcement of state assembly polls.

She also ordered disbanding of the high-profile UP Development Council (UPDC) set up by the Samajwadi Party government.

''My government would review and probe all the illegal and anti-state decisions, especially the ones taken after the month of February when the polls were announced,''she said in her maiden press conference after assuming the charge of the UP CM for the fourth time.

Some of the major decisions taken by the earlier government included minority status to Jauhar University, export of rice and pulses and sanction of Rs 10 crore to Safai, the native village of the former Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, among others.

Stating that to establish a rule of law in the state was immediate priority of her government, Ms Mayawati said the security provided to criminals would be withdrawn with immediate effect. The newly sworn in Chief Minister also ordered review of allocation of arms licences in the state during the earlier SP-led Mulayam regime.

The BSP chief, however, made it clear that her government would not function under political vendetta and the interest of the state would be supreme for her party and the government.

When asked if the much-hyped UPDC headed by SP General Secretary Amar Singh would continue, she thundered back ''Sawaal Hi Nahi Uthta Hai. Woh Khatam Ho Gayee (the Question does not arise. It stands disbanded).'' The UPDC was set up with a lot of fanfare with Amitabh Bachchan being its brand amabassador. Top industrialists like Anil Ambani, Adi Godrej, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Subrat Roy and others are its members. The UPDC was constituted to invite industrial investment in the state.

Meanwhile, Mr Amar Singh had already resigned from the post of the UPDC chairman of yesterday. The new CM chose to stay away from making any comment on Dadri mega power project piloted by Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group's Reliance Energy, saying ''I have just been sworn in...it is too early to comment on the issue.

Charting out priorities on the agenda of her newly sworn-in government, Ms Mayawati promised a corruption-free, crime-free, 'just' and 'fearless' administration. ''I know that the people of the state wanted desperately to rid of 'goonda' and 'mafia' rule of the Mulayam regime and my government would do the same for you, ''she asserted.

Expressing her government's resolve to rid of the pevailing 'jungle-raj' and establish a rule of law in the state, Ms Mayawati said the fresh inquiry would be ordered into all those cases in which people of the state had not received justice during earlier regime and guilty would be punished. ''I will not only transfer the erring officials but punish them in other way also,'' the UP CM said.

Issuing a note of warning to criminal elements in the state, she announced to launch a special drive against the crime and criminals.

''All such elements would be sent behind the bars where they belonged,'' she added.

Ms Mayawati also assured better deal to small and big traders and said unlike in the previous government, they would not be asked to pay 'goonda-tax'. Similarly, the interest of the farmers would also be protected during her regime.

Thanking the people of the state for giving majority to her party, she said the BSP government would pay back by catering to all the sections of the society alike. In the same way, the development of the state would be ensured irrespective of the regional bias and the backward regions would be given priority on developmental agenda, she added.

Using the catch-phrase of making Uttar Pradesh as 'Uttam Pradesh and Khushal Pradesh (Better and prosperous state), the CM said that industrial development would be given a new filip with an eye on the balance in the process.

UNI