Kalyan Singh flays Mayawati govt on crime front

Ballia, Dec 18 (UNI) BJP vice-president and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh today flayed the state government for the rising crime and corruption in UP.

Talking to newspersons after addressing an election meeting here, Mr Singh claimed the people of the state, who were fed up with the previous Mulayam Singh Yadav regime, had high hopes on the Mayawati government.

''However, the people are now suffering due to the present state government although it is only seven months old,'' he added.

Mr Singh alleged that the new regime had spent crores of rupees in the name of installing statues and erecting memorials across the state.

''The powers are filling their pockets by misusing public money...anarchy is prevalent and corruption is rampant,'' he charged.

Mr Singh claimed that the BJP would form the next governments in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. ''These elections will define the country's future.'' On the ambitious Greater Noida-Ballia Ganga Expressway Project announced by UP, he said the state government was conspiring to acquire lakhs of hectares of fertile agricultural land along the proposed Expressway route at throwaway prices.

He demanded the affected farmers be adequately compensated for their land.

On another question, Mr Singh said the BJP would only be strengthened with the return of Bharatiya Janshakti supremo Uma Bharti to the party fold.

UNI