Mayawati to continue to support UPA, for now

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) would continue to give outside support to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for the time being, said party supremo Mayawati, adding she would take a final decision on the matter “soon”.

Speaking to reporters in Lucknow after the BSP’s national executive meeting, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said the party had authorised her to take a final decision. “But there will be no delay. The decision will be taken soon and conveyed to you,” news agency PTI quoted her as telling reporters.


She said the BSP had supported UPA with a view to weakening “fundamentalist forces” in the country and working for the welfare of all sections of the society, including dalits and minorities. “But it’s a matter of sorrow that the attitude of the central government has been very disappointing regarding these from the very beginning.”

Political analysts, however, are of the view that Mayawati’s decision is inextricably connected with the ongoing disproportionate assets case in the Supreme Court against her being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The Supreme Court said on Tuesday it had not barred the CBI from probing the asset case against Mayawati. “It now remains to be seen whether CBI goes ahead and revives the case; if it does, it will surely add a fresh twist to the political developments,” said a senior political analyst.

Mayawati had earlier said a final decision regarding support would be taken by the party’s national executive and parliamentary board on Wednesday.

The move has come as a sign of reprieve for UPA. “We will try and allay any apprehensions she might have. After all, BSP is our ally,” Rajeev Shukla, minister of state for Parliamentary affairs, told reporters here.

After the Trinamool Congress withdrew its support to UPA last month, the ruling coalition is dependent on BSP and the Samajwadi Party’s outside support for survival. BSP has 21 members in the Lok Sabha, while the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party has 22 MPs.

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Bank van heist: Robber, wife arrested from Uttar Pradesh

Bank van heist:Robber, wife held from UP

New Delhi: One of the robbers allegedly involved in the sensational Rs 5.25 crore bank van heist in south Delhi and his wife were arrested from Uttar Pradesh, police said on Wednesday.

Hari Kishan and his wife Rashmi were apprehended from Banda, a senior police official said. With this seven persons have been arrested in connection with the last Friday's robbery.

Some cash has been recovered from them, the official said. The gang had waylaid the cash van, pinned down a security guard and shot him after he tried to snatch their weapons. They fled the spot in the cash van leaving behind the car in which they were following the vehicle. The guard later succumbed to bullet wound.

It was a raid at Harkishen's house in Khirki that helped police in its trail. The key of the looted cash van was recovered in his house.

Harkishen is the second person, who was allegedly involved in the actual robbery, to be arrested. One Deepak Sharma, who was with Kishan and others, was arrested earlier.

Two youths, who were allegedly involved in the planning were also arrested besides two relatives of a suspected robber who helped them in hiding a portion of the money.

Investigators have found out that four youths were spotted by some locals in Khirki with big boxes on Friday. A portrait of one of the suspects was sketched with their help.

From their description, police managed to get photographs of two criminals, which the eye-witnesses confirmed as those they saw robbing the van.

Several teams covered Hauz Rani and Khirki, and verified recently evicted tenants besides checking other details with property dealers.

Police on last Saturday managed to identify the house which was believed to have been used by the suspects. It belonged to Hari Kishan who had shifted recently and purchased it in his wife's name.

Raids were conducted at this house and from there, police managed to recover the keys of the cash van, which was abandoned by the gang. Some other documents were also seized from the spot which indicated that the suspects had visited and stayed there, the official said

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Akhilesh Yadav agrees to host Global Investment Summit 2012 in Agra

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has agreed to host the Global Investment Summit in Agra from January 27 to 29 and said that it would be an opportunity for him to build confidence in the investors to open their ventures in the state.

The Central government had decided during good old days of friendship with West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee to hold the summit in Kolkata. But after the divorce with the TMC, Anand Sharma, Union Commerce and Industry Minister, wanted to shift the venue elsewhere.


He had talked to the UP CM over telephone on Wednesday to find if he would allow the summit to take place in Agra. He had also sent a letter to Akhilesh a day before.

Sources in the department of industrial development told Mail Today that the Akhilesh Yadav has already written to the department to make arrangements for the summit and report to him.

"We see this opportunity as a reward to the SP government in the state to attract global investors. You can call it a return gift to the SP, which had saved the Congress-ruled UPA in the Centre after Trinamool's recent withdrawal of support," an officer said on the condition of anonymity.

"Although Akhilesh Yadav had recently held a meeting with some of the industrial houses and a few global investors, he had not received encouraging response from them. But since the Central government would be involved in Agra summit, we could attract some of them with the help of union ministry of commerce and industry," he said.

"Even the union minister in his letter to the CM had stated that it could be a good platform for UP to market the prospects of industrialization in the state. The CM welcomed his decision and hoped that UP would soon be on the path of industrialisation," the officer added.

Anil Kumar Gupta, Commissioner, Industrial Development, said, "We will organize the summit successfully."

The Global Investment Summit is held every year under the auspices of the Central government and Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). It was held many a times in Kolkata in past. Last year it was held in Hyderabad. The CII members claimed that since then more than two dozen big projects have been started in Karnataka with the held of foreign investors.

Alok Saxena, Chairman of CII, UP state council, said, "It is a positive sign for the industries in the state."
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"CII in UP is actively involved with the state government on various verticals. We have formed joint working groups on power and renewable energy, skills development, branding of UP, agriculture and food processing, industrial policy, infrastructure, healthcare and information technology where CII is being involved in policy advocacy to the state. We had recently held a meeting with US ambassador to India, Nancy Powell, and minister counselor for commercial affairs U.S. embassy, Judy Reinke. They had also met the CM to improve business interaction and industrial climate of UP. They want minimum risk prone regions for the investors. We hope the CM would be able to give this assurance in the summit," he added

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