Digvijay Singh takes on Mayawati over graft, caste politics

Lucknow, Feb 2 (ANI): Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh has launched a fresh, attack on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati over issues such as rampant corruption and caste politics.

Recently, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had exposed anomalies in the government's flagship National Rural Health Mission implementation process in Uttar Pradesh.

Blowing the lid of a colossal scam, the CAG observed that at least 50 billion rupees was unaccounted for in the NRHM in Uttar Pradesh, suggesting that government were involved in a scandal.

Training his guns on Mayawati, Singh asked her to clarify why no legal action should be initiated against expelled leaders under prevailing anti-graft laws.

Singh further said: "In the multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-caste society of India, caste shall always remain factor. But then, people are now quite fed-up with the politics of caste and communalism. Therefore, people are rising above caste politics and looking at a person who can deliver, looking at a political party which can deliver the goods to them so that they have a bright future."

Singh also defended the Congress party over its proposal to grant additional quota to Muslims.

"A special focus is always given to minority communities. That is why, not only in India but across the world, in every developed society, in every developed country, the minority communities are granted special rights. This is not a new thing," said Singh.

Reservation is seen as a strategic move ahead of assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, which has a substantial Muslim population.

Polls in Uttar Pradesh will be conducted between February 8 and March 3, and the counting will take place on March 6.

The polls will elect a new 403-member state assembly in March. The poll results will broadly indicate trends for the 2014 general elections. (ANI)