The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is determined to defend Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati who has been shown in a video-tape asking for a cut from MPs and MLAs from their constituency development funds.
It caused uproar in Lucknow as well as Parliament with charges and counter-charges being exchanged. Akhilesh Singh (Samajwadi Party) waved newspapers and squatted in the House. Rash-triya Janata Dal leaders said Mayawati had violated parliamentary privilege.
At the BJP parliamentary party meeting here today, the issue was raised by one MP from Uttar Pradesh but Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani chose to ignore it.
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But Advani spoke to Mayawati in the morning and sought details about the conversation contained in the video tapes released by the Samajwadi Party yesterday.
Though the tape is considered a vital evidence to prove that Mayawati was directing her MPs and MLAs to