DNA Edit: Cash-rich Mayawati smells a plot against BSP

The fact that BSP supremo Mayawati saw fit to hold a press conference on Tuesday, almost immediately after the Enforcement Directorate detected two allegedly suspicious accounts — one of the party, and the other of Mayawati’s brother Anand Kumar — suggests that the party is worried about the fallout of the probe agency’s findings.

The accounts, held in United Bank of India’s Karol Bagh branch in Delhi, are under the scanner. Large sums of money in old notes had allegedly been deposited post the Prime Minister’s demonetization announcement. In the BSP account, an estimated Rs 102 crore in Rs 1,000-denomination notes were deposited in several instalments. In Kumar’s case, altogether Rs 1.43 crore was parked, out of which Rs 18.98 lakh was deposited post the demonetization scheme. Kumar’s account piqued the curiosity of probe agencies since the government has capped the limit on cash deposits in banks at Rs 2.5 lakh to ensure that larger amounts are liable for scrutiny. 

If Kumar is not able to provide convincing answers, a further probe is likely to be conducted against him, which could entail legal action. This is bad news for a man who has been accused of holding benami properties and has courted controversy in the past for suspicious dealings. 

In April 2015, the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU) had launched a probe against Kumar when allegedly dubious transactions, running into crores, were traced to his bank accounts.

In the light of these incidents, it came as no surprise that Mayawati was belligerent in her press conference. Accusing the BJP of carrying out a “witch-hunt” she thundered that the BJP and company (read the Congress) has been “harassing her party since 2007.” 

But, she believed, it would not have any impact, as she had full faith in the people of Uttar Pradesh. Regarding specific allegations against the party and her brother, she said the money had been collected and deposited well before the demonetization announcement. It remains to be seen if the BSP supremo’s answers pass muster with the people of UP, not to mention the ED. What’s surprising, though, is the support that the BSP has received, according to sources, from arch rival Samajwadi Party (SP). The SP stated that since the money was in bank accounts, it should not be considered illegal — a logic that boggles rational minds. The SP’s apparent willingness to align with the BSP on this issue suggests that the former wants to protect itself from probe agencies, if similar charges were to surface against its leaders. But with the BJP in no mood to let the BSP off the hook, political games are likely to intensify.