Taking suo moto cognisance of the allegedly multi-crore currency note garland bestowed upon Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati at the party rally on Monday, the Income-Tax department issued notice to her, while her minister quoted the value of the garland at "just Rs. 21 lakh".
The admission followed initial denials about use of currency notes in the garland, which were rebutted by zoomed-in pictures of the garland clearly showing Rs 1,000 denomination notes
Even as Mayawati's close confidant Naseemuddin Siddiqui was constrained to admit that the garland was indeed made of currency notes, he sought to impress upon mediapersons that the total number of notes used were just "Rs 21 lakh".
"The garland had currency notes worth only Rs 21 lakh, which were contributed by a large number of party leaders and workers," Siddiqui said.
"The money for the garland was collected by party functionaries in Lucknow and we arranged to have a special garland made for our leader here itself," he said.
He refuted reports that the garland was gifted by BSP functionaries in Karnataka, where it was earlier stated to have been crafted.
When a scribe sought to draw his attention to a Karnataka BSP leader having gone on record on Monday claiming that the garland was brought by him from there, Siddiqui remarked, "What I am telling you is the truth ; I do not know of what and who made this claim from Karnataka."
Accusing the Opposition of spreading "canards" against BSP, he said, "Well, the Opposition has got the jitters after seeing the mammoth turnout at our rally so they were bound to make wild allegations against us."
Asked what the party would do in the wake of the Income Tax probe being ordered into the garland affair, Siddiqui shot back, "We are not scared of any inquiry as we have not done anything wrong."
