Lokayukta recommends CBI probe against BSP's UP chief

Lucknow, March 15 (IANS) The recommendation of Lokayukta Jutsice N.K. Mehrotra seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into allegations of corruption against state president of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Ram Achal Rajbhar, is set to foment more trouble for the party.

Rajbhar has been a close aide of former chief minister Mayawati, and many senior BSP leaders already face legal trouble.

Mehrotra made his recommendations Thursday. The file is likely to reach the chief minister's office for approval Friday.

Rajbhar, who was transport minister in the Mayawati government, has been charged with amassing ill gotten money, misusing his official position, money laundering and a host of other economic offences.

The Lokayukta has also sought that a first information report (FIR) be lodged against the senior BSP leader.

Rajbhar is the eighth minister of the Maywati government to face the heat from the Lokayukta.

In a report sent to the chief minister, the state Lokayukta has held that the charges filed by complainants Anand Kumar Dwivedi and Ram Araj Verma have been found to be correct; the Lokayukta adds that as a minister, Rajbhar managed to get as many as 49 properties in either his own name or that of members of his family and a trust.

The minister, during the course of investigations, claimed that the properties were worth Rs.1.5 crore; investigation revealed that the market price of the properties was more than Rs.9 crore, the Lokayukta said.

The report also said that bank accounts with funds of Rs.2 crore were found, but the source of the money could not be ascertained. The Lokayukta has said that in case the Akhilesh Yadav government did not approve a CBI probe into allegations of corruption against the former minister, the state vigilance department or the anti-corruption bureau could undertake the task.

Similar recommendations have been made in the past one year. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has so far refrained from giving the go-ahead to the CBI for probing his adversaries.

Why isn't Akhilesh Yadav giving permission to prosecute these corrupt ministers? Is is t question of Chor - chor mausera bhai ?