Maya takes offence to Ram CD, orders CBI probe

PROMPT DENIAL: Mayawati claims the Bahujan Samaj Party has nothing to do with the controversial CD.

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New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has taken strong offence to the movie CD called Teesri Azaadi, which shows Lord Ram making anti-dalit statements.

The CD was allegedly produced by a dalit NGO in Basti and the report was first aired on the IBN Network on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Opposition Samajwadi Party has alleged that the BSP was behind the making of the CD.

Claiming that Bahujan Samaj Party has nothing to do with the controversial CD, UP Chief Minister Mayawati recommended a CBI probe into the issue and lodged an FIR against a private news channel for telecasting it.

Mayawati said the government has decided to hand over the case to the CBI as it involves sitting BSP MP Lalmani Prasad of Basti.

"The term of reference of the CBI probe would be to find out the makers of the controversial CD and the people who were involved in its distribution in several parts of the country," she said.

Mayawati held the Congress, BJP and Shiv Sena of Maharashtra responsible for the controversial CD as it was made in Maharashtra.

She also asked the Samajwadi Party why it did not take notice of the CD which was available through the Internet in 2006.

She claimed that no party worker or leader in the entire country were involved in the CD case. BSP MP Lalmani Prasad, whose name was dragged in the case, had said he was attached with Dr Ambedkar Samaj Sudharak Sansthan before he joined the BSP.

Clarifying the party's stand on the Opposition allegations, the BSP supremo said the party was strictly following the ideology of Sarva Samaj and it was the conspiracy of the opponent political parties to confuse the upper caste who had joined the BSP.

The CD, allegedly prepared by Ambedkar Samaj Sudharak Sansthan, is said to contain objectionable references about upper caste and against Hindu deities.

Opposition parties in the state had launched several protest against the CD and blamed the ruling party for supporting the circulation of the material for its own vested interest. The matter was also raised in both Houses of the State Legislature on Tuesday.

(With agency reports)