Will teach a lesson to SP goons, fumes Maya

Lucknow (PTI): A fuming Mayawati on Sunday accused the Samajwadi Party government in UP of political vendetta after hoardings installed by her party BSP on B R Ambedkar's birth anniversary were allegedly removed and said SP "goons" will be "taught a lesson" when she returns to power. Reacting sharply to Mayawati's remarks, the Samajwadi Party said the BSP supremo should understand that she would never come to power in the state and should learn to live without it. Addressing a function to mark Ambedkar's 122th birth anniversary here, Mayawati said during her government land was leased to marginal farmers, but under the present regime it was being grabbed by SP "goons and party workers". "Jab hamari party ki sarkar banegi tab aise logon ko toda jayega aur aisa siddha karenge ki phir woh kabhi zameen par kabja nahi kar payenge (When our party comes to power, such people will be strongly dealt with and they will be taught a lesson so that they will not dare to grab land in future)," she said. The former chief minister alleged that members of the opposition parties were being victimised for political vendetta and "BSP is being made number one target. The BSP supremo was infuriated over removal of hoardings installed near Bhimrao Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal to mark Ambedkar's birth anniversary. "The government knew that it was Babasaheb's anniversary and lakhs of people will come to pay tribute to him. On this occasion hoardings are installed across the country for which no permission is required," she said. Mayawati said that considering the approach of the SP government, her partymen took permission from the local body to install hoardings near the Sthal. "Till Saturday, a large number of hoardings were installed within three kilometres of the 'sthal', but I have come to know that a lot of drama took place last night and on the directive of SP government, all of them removed. No matter how strongly such actions are condemned, it won't suffice," she said.