Two Cabinet ministers in the Mayawati government are in trouble over corruption charges.
UP Lok Ayukta, Justice N.K. Mehrotra has served a notice on the two ministers, along with a copy of the complaint received by his office, asking them to explain the charges.
In her complaint, Ms Ramlalli Misra, Zila panchayat chief of Bhadohi, has alleged that the two ministers, Rakesh Dhar Tripathi and Ranganath Misra, have accumulated enormous property and wealth in their tenure as ministers. Incidentally, both the ministers are brahmins. The complainant has said that Rakesh Dhar Tripathi, who heads the higher education ministry, has accumulated property worth `200 crore inn Allahabad after he became minister in the Mayawati government. She further said that Mr Ranganath Misra, who is cabinet minister for secondary education, has also accumulated property worth several crores in Bhadohi and neighboring districts. Mr Misra is also guilty of getting jobs for his relatives in the state government.
The complainant has attached documentary proo-fs of the property purchased by the ministers and their kin in the past three years.
A copy of the complaint, along with supporting documents, has been sent to the Governor B.L. Joshi. In her complaint, Ms Ramlalli Misra has mentioned that she has also informed the President and the CBI as well. When contacted, secondary education minister Ranganath Misra said that he had received the letter from the Lok Ayukta office but denied the charges levelled against him.