The Hindu : U.P. Govt. will follow SC directive, says Mayawati

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 01, 2003

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National

U.P. Govt. will follow SC directive, says Mayawati

By Our Staff Reporter

JAMMU MARCH 31. The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mayawati, said today that her Government would follow the direction of the Supreme Court in letter and in spirit in the Ayodhya case and nobody would be allowed to take the law into his or her hands.

She was responding to the Supreme Court order, which rejected the Union Government's application seeking vacation of the order banning any kind of religious activity on the 67-acre undisputed land surrounding the disputed site in Ayodhya and directed maintenance of status quo therein. Talking to presspersons here today, Ms. Mayawati said the State would take steps to follow the court direction. The rule of law would prevail at all costs and everyone should trust the Government in this regard. Also, the places of worship of minorities were safe.

"I am determined to live up to my commitments made to the minorities that they should not fear anyone in my regime. This is not lip service. I mean every word I say. I not only represent the Dalits but also the minorities and all underprivileged people. They should live in Uttar Pradesh with their heads held high".

Ms. Mayawati, who was here to undertake a major exercise of revamping the State unit of the party, took credit for putting criminals behind the bars and restoring a sense of security in Uttar Pradesh in the last one year.

On her party's relationship with the BJP, she said: "When the State Government was formed in May last we had decided to come together for governance and leave our ideologies in cold storage. Therefore, there is no clash of ideologies and the Government is working well with the best cooperation from every quarter". On the fate of Kashmiri students, arrested in Uttar Pradesh for their alleged terrorists links under POTA, she said: "The claim of the Jammu and Kashmir Government that we are harassing the Kashmiri students is baseless. We arrested them only when we were convinced about their involvement in anti-national activities. However, I assure that nobody will be harassed by my Government on the basis of race, religion or region".

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