New Delhi, Feb. 20 (PTI): Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayavati has said she would not let family members of ailing party founder Kanshi Ram take him away as the party has spent more than Rs 50 lakh on his treatment while the relatives had not contributed a single paisa or bothered to look after him.

Mayavati alleged that Kanshi Ram?s family members had, at the behest of her political rivals, filed a petition that he was being illegally confined by her and claimed ? in an affidavit to the Supreme Court ? that the party founder was staying with her voluntarily.

The apex court had on January 3 issued notices to the Centre and Mayavati on a petition filed by Kanshi Ram?s mother, Bishan Kaur, seeking the right to visit her son and extension of proper medical facilities to him. Kaur has challenged a Delhi High Court order dismissing her petition after noting that Kanshi Ram was staying at Mayavati?s house without any pressure being put on him.

Mayavati termed allegations that Kanshi Ram was drugged and sedated as ?baseless?. She alleged that the founder?s brothers had tried to administer something to him in the name of medicine and the doctors of Batra Hospital here objected to this.

The BSP leader claimed that Kanshi Ram?s family had deserted him in 1984, when he founded the party, and did not even look after him during his illness on which the party has spent more than Rs 50 lakh. She said the 70-year-old leader was suffering from various ailments and the family did not have any known source of income to arrange for the expenditure needed for the treatment.

Mayavati brushed aside allegations that she had confined the BSP founder. She quoted media reports to allege that a minister in the Mulayam Singh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh, who had been expelled from the BSP, had instigated the family members.

The BSP leader said Kanshi Ram?s brothers had suddenly become active at the end of April, just before the 2004 Lok Sabha polls. She said the consequences of Kanshi Ram?s family members being given the rights of his treatment may be irreparable as there was the possibility of a mishap that would endanger his life.