The new Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mayawati, yesterday hinted at reviewing major decisions taken during the Presidents rule in the state and effecting an administrative reshuffle to tone up the law and order machinery.
Immediate check on atrocities and injustices, control on goonda gardi and restoration of law and order were the top priorities of the government.
In her first press conference, Mayawati showed that she had matured in the period between her first tenure and now. She was not blunt and straight anymore, but ducked most of the controversial questions.
Belaying expectations, she did not immediately say that she will allow the CBI permission to prosecute Balram Singh Yadav and RK Sharma IAS in the ayurveda scam case; or for that matter of Neera Yadav in the Noida housing scam.
In both she said she will call for the files and we are new to the government, we shall have discussions etc, but not once was she emphatic about it. She will first see that if the Governor had wrongly taken a decision then she will rectify it.
When asked about the October 2, 1994 firing on Uttarakhand agitators, which led to killing and rape, she said the matter was subjudice.
When questions persisted, she retorted: Do you want me to do something wrong?
On the June, 95 state guest house incident, an issue on which she had fought the last election.
She said the matter is pending in the courts and they will decide. When further asked about the status of the officers involved in the case, she repeated her reply.
But when no specific case was mentioned, she was back on her own.
The BSP and the BJP have come together to stop the atrocities being committed on the weaker sections.
The main task of the joint government was to get rid of goonda rule, she said.
Broadening her attack she brought the UF in its ambit.
She said all the schemes she had started were stopped. Now I will surely ask them about these schemes. Once it became clear that I am coming back as the chief minister then they have restarted those things, she said.
On the creation of a separate state of Uttarakhand, she said it was the Centre which was delaying it.
The government had already given the proposal twice, therefore there was no need for a fresh proposal. When there was persistent questions on this, she said that would be reviewed as well.
Surprisingly, she opposed the proposal of reserving thirty three per cent seats for women. She said I can accept the proposal only if some reservation is also done for men. She said it is not correct to refer to women as baichari(poor) etc.
After her first press conference, most people came away with the impression that not much can be expected from her as far as rooting out of corruption was concerned.
