IANS

New Delhi, Jul 27: Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi Moday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and briefed him about the situation in the state after her remarks against state Chief Minister Mayawati.

"I told him that it is an act of state sponsored violence. I told him that we are demanding an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)," Joshi told reporters after the meeting.

Joshi's house in Lucknow was set on fire on the night of July 15 -- allegedly by a group of Bahujan Samaj party (BSP) workers -- because she made remarks that offended Mayawati both as a woman and a Dalit.

She said that the prime minister is "closely following the events" and suggested has the Congress leader take care of her personal security.

Joshi was arrested early July 15 and charged under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act on charges of making derogatory remarks against Mayawati. She was granted bail by a Moradabad court July 18.

Joshi later apologised for her remarks.

Joshi also said that she had "narrated the conditions of Moradabad jail to the prime minister".