'Mayawati has phobia of Rahul Gandhi': Rita Bahuguna Joshi

Lucknow, Nov. 20 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi on Sunday criticised Mayawati saying the chief minister has the phobia of Rahul Gandhi, as he has emerged as a major threat to her rule.

"Mayawati has the phobia of congress party especially Rahul Gandhi. So we are very happy and we congratulate Rahul Gandhi and hope that due to Rahul Gandhi's efforts all the Muslims, poor and Muslims from the backward class who are supposed to get the reservation under the backward class category will get it very soon," she said.

The Uttar Pradesh elections, which are scheduled in the early part of 2012, is being seen as a stepping-stone for the Congress Party to establish a firm political base in India's fifth largest and most populous state before the 2014 general elections.

Rahul Gandhi is leaving no stone unturned in giving a tough fight to the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the forthcoming state assembly elections. His visits have focused equally on Dalits, Muslims, the other backward classes and Hindus.

Joshi further slammed Mayawati for having involvement in the National Rural Health Mission scam in which senior BSP leader Babu Singh Kushwaha gave his resignation on the moral grounds owing the responsibility of the killings of medical officers.

"If two of the big officers living in the IAS (Indian Administrative Services) and PCS (Probationary Civil Services) colonies can be killed during the early hours while they went out for a morning walk along with their friends, so Babu Shree Kushvah who was asked to resign due to ongoing NRHM scam, surely his life is in danger," said Joshi.

"I believe that if he has expressed this doubt then it is not baseless because the links of this scam are directly linked with the office of the chief minister of the state," she added.

Kushwaha had earlier on Saturday accused State Cabinet Secretary Shahshank Shekhar Singh, Principal Secretary (Home) Fateh Bahadur Singh and Public Works Department Minister Naseemuddin Siddqui of conspiring to kill him. (ANI)