Naseemuddin vs Maya: Tapes, CDS, Rs 50 cr, blackmail charge

INFIGHTING IN the BSP took an ugly turn Thursday when veteran leader Naseemuddin Siddiqui, who had been expelled a day earlier with his son Afzal for “anti-party activities”, released seven audio clips and claimed he had 150 CDS on party chief Mayawati. He alleged that she had demanded Rs 50 crore from him after the party’s rout in the UP assembly elections.

Less than two hours later, Mayawati told reporters at her residence that Siddiqui was a “taping blackmailer”, that there was “nothing new” in the audio clips he had released since these had been “edited by him because they have my voice but not his”.

She claimed Siddiqui had party “books of membership” but had not done their “settlement”, and in the phone conversations, she was telling him to do that. In the audio clips Siddiqui released, Mayawati repeatedly mentions “kitab” (books) and “hisaab” (settlement).

In one clip, she is heard saying, “Jis ko aapne membership ki kitab dilayi thi, usne hisaab nahi kiya hai, us se baat karo”. In another clip, she tells Siddiqui “party ko aap ne diya nahi, party ne aap ko bahut kuchch diya hai, aap 9 ko aao, phir baat karna, membership ki kitab hai toh sabko member banana hoga”.

Mayawati told reporters: “I told him that you will have to

Siddiqui with son Afzal; Mayawati on Thursday.