A woman has submitted a CD alongwith a formal complaint to an official in Uttar Pradesh's Auraiyya district claiming that a Samajwadi Party (SP) leader, who has the status of a minister, had sought young women for sex.
Madhu Pandey, a former leader of the ruling party, has submitted the complaint to Auraiyya District Magistrate S. Rajalingam along with the CD which has a taped telephonic conversation between her and the SP leader who is chairman of a state department and holds the rank of a state minister.
District Magistrate Aurayyia confirmed to IANS of having received the audio CD with a complaint from Pandey.
"I have received the CD and the complaint and have forwarded it to the police with instructions to probe the matter," Rajalingam said.
He added that the CD would be sent for forensic scrutiny at a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL).
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In the conversation which lasts over two minutes, the party leader allegedly tells Madhu Pandey to come over but not without "preparations" and goes on to say that the "maal should be khara" (the consignment should be good).
Madhu tells him that he need not be tense as the "thing" she is bringing will not disappoint him. She requests the functionary, known for his proximity to the SP leadership, to get her appointed as secretary or vice president of the state executive.
To this, Yadav says that she was not well educated for the job and allegedly directs the woman to "come to Lucknow prepared and to come with a woman of his choice".
The SP leader asks Pandey not to come with a woman but with a 'chooza' (chicken).
Pandey says she does not understand what a 'chooza' is and asks the leader to elaborate, to which he says "chooza mane 19 se 20 saal ke beech ki" (chicken means a girl aged between 19 and 20 years).
When contacted, Pandey repeated her charges and said that the SP leader had been victimizing her for a long time and seeking favours ranging from sex to money and supplying women.
She admitted that she had yielded to the demands of the powerful leader to get a job for her husband.
The taped telephonic conversation, she said, was of October 2012.
When asked on why the delay in bringing the matter, she said she was doing so after "giving up hope of justice by party leaders", specially after being expelled from the party June 1.
"I was assaulted...and threatened with dire consequences," she claimed.
SP spokesmen and other leaders refused to comment.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said the matter was very serious and the accused should be immediately sacked and a probe ordered.
"A party functionary had alleged something very scandalous and serious. The need is to go to the bottom of the whole thing and till such a time the accused is cleared in a probe, he should be sacked," Pathak said.
(Mohit Dubey can be contacted at mohit.d@ians.in)