UP MP Jaya Prada seeks Prez direction to Mayawati

New Delhi, Mar 13 (UNI) The Samajwadi Party (SP) and ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) tussle in Uttar Pradesh today reached the portals of the Rashtrapati Bhawan here when SP MP from Rampur and film star Jaya Prada sought a direction from President Pratibha Patil to BSP Supremo and state Chief Minister Mayawati to restrain her parytmen who had allegedly attacked her(Ms Prada's)house and office in her constituency.

Ms Prada, accompanied by party general secretaty Amar Singh and MP Jaya Bachchan, called on the President this evening and handed a memorandum recounting the chain of events leading to the attack and containing her demand for increasing her security against such assaults.

''The President has assured us that she will speak to the Home Minister and others concerned to look into the matter,'' Mr Singh told mediapersons after meeting the President.

He said, ''We told Ms Patil that it was very unfortunate that the BSP local MLA Naved Mian along with some goons attacked Ms Prada's office and residence on the very Women's Day.

Ms Prada also raised the issue in the Lok Sabha today, he added.

Ms Prada said police came two hours after the incident and made no arrests.

She said it was very cowardly of the BSP MLA to create an atmosphere in favour of his party in such a crude manner. ''They should take on us politically, and not like this,'' she said.

She said her security cover has been removed, and so she has urged the Centre to provide adequate security against such attacks.

Replying to a question on the case against the legality of her term as MP, Ms Prada said the case had now been set aside by the High Court, so she had nothing to say on that.

UNI NAZ SB HT1927