Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati was today in the eye of a fresh storm in the Lok Sabha with Samajwadi Party (SP) and congress demanding a probe intothe multi-crore garland presented to her at a lavish Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) rally in Lucknow yesterday.
Members of SP and congress created an uproar in the house during zero hour, forcing speaker Meira Kumar to adjourn it for about 45 minutes, till 1pm and later till 2pm.
The members, including SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Jagdambika Pal (congress), were heard saying that the garland made of currency notes of Rs1000 denomination was worth Rs10 to Rs15 crore.
Amid din, they demanded a probe to ascertain where the money came from.
Some BSP members were seen countering them, but what they said could not be heard in the din.
The speaker disallowed them, saying listed matters of zero hour should be allowed to be raised. However, her repeated pleas went unheeded and she adjourned the house.
The issue of lavish celebrations of BSP's 25th founding day found its echo in Lok Sabha yesterday also, when the SP chief accused Mayawati of spending Rs200 crore on the rally.
Yadav was joined by party colleagues along with Pal in alleging that Mayawati was celebrating while Bareilly was burning in communal fire.
Pal said Mayawati's acceptance of the garland worth crores of rupees was a violation of the model code of conduct as the source of the money is unknown.
"The country's money is the national currency. The way these Rs1,000 notes were made into a garland, is a crime," he said.
Pal said the incident proves that corruption has been given sanction in public life.
When the house reassembled at 1pm, the SP and congress members from the state wanted to speak on Mayawati's rally.
Soon a fresh bout of uproar broke out and the house was adjourned till 2pm by deputy speaker Karia Munda.
