Farmers land acquired under previous govt: Maya

Lucknow, Aug 18: Blaming Samajwadi Party and the Congress for fomenting violence in Greater Noida over farmers' issue, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati said the farmers' land was acquired and compensated during the previous regime of Mulayam Singh Yadav and her government had nothing to do with it.

''The whole process of land acquisition in Ghodibacheda and neighbouring seven villages was finalised by October 2006 before my government had come to power,'' Ms Mayawati told a luncheon-press conference here this afternoon. The compensation to the farmers was paid after an agreement between them and the Greater Noida Authority on the basis of prevailing rates in 2006-07, she said accusing the opposition parties particularly SP of triggering off the violence on the issue BSP government had no role to play in. ''Even after coming to power, my government had set up a committee headed by Divisional Commissioner of Meerut to look into farmers complaints in the case of lands having been acquired after April one, 2007,'' she said. Despite this, these parties were blaming the BSP government for non-action and the farmers were being misled by them, she regretted.

The August 13 violence in Greater Noida in which four farmers were killed was incited by SP and other opposition parties. ''Police had to use 'mild' force in order to save lives and property,'' she claimed.

UNI