I-T inquiry ordered into Maya currency garland

The UP Chief Minister, Ms Mayawati’s garland of currency notes worth crores of rupees rocked the Lok Sabha on Tuesday and forced the Income Tax department to probe the issue.

The Lok Sabha had to be adjourned twice in the first half as the Congress, BJP and the SP members attacked the BSP chief for wearing a huge garland at a public rally on Monday and disrupted House proceedings.

As chaos continued the Deputy Speaker, Mr Kariya Munda, adjourned the House for recess till 12 pm.

“We want a CBI probe into the source of the money used in the garland,” said the SP chief, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav.

The I-T department will probe the funding and ownership of currency notes, sources said.

The department has also asked its intelligence wing to gather information in this regard including the funding of the entire event that took place to celebrate the BSP’s silver jubilee.

The department will also probe the genuineness of the notes which could be seized for the purpose, they said.

Parties told to reveal their T-stand

The political parties adopting dual standards or maintaining silence over the Telangana issue will soon have to reveal their stand on the issue.

The Justice B.N. Srikrishna committee member secretary, Mr V.K. Duggal, said here on Wednesday that the eight recognised political parties in the state have been asked to submit their views to the committee by March 22.

When it was brought to his notice that leaders within a political party were found expressing divergent views, Mr Duggal said that was the reason why the designated presidents of the political parties have been asked to submit the view on the party’s behalf.

This means the Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, the Pradesh Congress Committee chief, Mr D. Srinivas, and the Majlis-Ittehadul-Muslimeen chief, Mr Asaduddin Owaisi, will have to make their stands known.

While the Congress and the TD continue their dual approach, leaving it to leaders of respective regions to agitate for or against Telangana, the MIM has not revealed its opinions. Later in the day, Mr Duggal called on the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, at the legislative assembly.