UP minister's advice to 'corrupt' babus-eat less

Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have declared ''na khayenge, na khane denge'' (we will neither indulge in corruption nor allow any one to do so) but a senior minister of his party in Uttar Pradesh feels that the babus could be allowed to eat (bribe) a little.
 
In remarks that may have cause huge embarrassment to the BJP, UP deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya seemed to suggest to the PWD officials that they were at liberty to take bribes though on a very small scale.
 
''Dal mein namak ke barabar khao to dikkat nahin hogi....lekin bada ghotala bardasht nahin kiya jayega ,''(a little can be eaten like salt in the food but big scams will not be tolerated) Maurya, who is also the minister for PWD, said while speaking at a function in Hardoi district, about 100 kilometres from here on Sunday.
 
The minister's remarks came as a shock to many officials, who were present at the function, though they remained tight lipped.
 
Incidentally Maurya's predecessor and senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Shivpal Singh Yadav, during his tenure as PWD minister, had also given a more or less similar advice to the PWD officials.
 
''You (officials) can steal a little provided you get the work done.....but never try to commit robbery,'' Shivpal had then said.
 
Maurya's remarks came in for sharp criticism from the Samajwadi Party, which said that they virtually endorsed corruption. ''The minister is openly advocating corruption,'' said a senior SP leader on Monday.
 
BJP leaders, however, defended the remarks and said that they should not be read out of context. ''Our commitment against corruption cannot be doubted....the minister has also affirmed his commitment,'' said a senior state BJP leader.