After Mayawati's 'warning', MP govt decides to withdraw political cases filed during Dalit agitation

Jan 1 (AZINS) A day after BSP supremo Mayawati said that she may have to reconsider support in MP and Rajasthan if her conditions are not met, seems like Congress has taken her words seriously and are looking for course correction. The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to withdraw all political cases filed during the Dalit agitation.

Virtually putting the Congress-led governments in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan on notice, the BSP supremo Mayawati Monday said she might have to "reconsider" her party's outside support to them if cases against "innocent" persons framed in Bharat Bandh on April 2 were not withdrawn.

"If the newly-elected governments in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan do not act swiftly and withdraw the cases against the innocent persons framed in Bharat Bandh, the BSP may have to reconsider extending the outside support to the Congress governments," she said in a hard-hitting press release

Mayawati said the cases against the innocent people were framed out of political and caste considerations in Uttar Pradesh and other BJP-ruled states including MP and Rajasthan, which were previously under the BJP. BSP has two members in Madhya Pradesh's 230-member assembly, while in Rajasthan her party has six seats in the House of 200 MLAs.

Now, the Madhya Pradesh government has agreed to her demand. Madhya Pradesh Law and Legislative Affairs Minister P C Sharma has given a statement that all political cases which were filed during the dalit agitation will be withdrawn. Earlier Sharma had said that proposal to withdraw "politically-motivated cases" registered against Congress leaders and workers under previous BJP governments in Madhya Pradesh is on the anvil.

Similarly, a plan will be prepared to quash the cases filed against employees' union leaders for taking part in agitations."I will soon consult with the Principal Secretary of the department (Law and Legislative Affairs) and prepare a proposal to withdraw politically-motivated cases against Congress workers and leaders," the minister told reporters.He said the proposal would be submitted to Chief Minister Kamal Nath for further action.

Now along with Congress workers many Dalit activists who had taken part in the Bharat Bandh last April will be free of any police cases.