One who exposes culprit will get ₹11 lakh: Akhilesh
LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday announced a reward of Rs 11 lakh to the one who would expose the name of those who “hammered the government bungalow under the cover of night”.
Addressing party workers while flagging off the SP cycle rally from Ballia to Lucknow at the Janeshwar Mishra Park here, Yadav denied any illegal construction at the bungalow during his government in the state.
The SP also released the government orders, documents and maps approved by the Lucknow Development Authority pertaining to the construction at the bungalow. By announcing the reward, Yadav hinted that the damage to the bungalow was caused by someone else.
“Some people, under the cover of night, went there (to the bungalow) with hammers the day we vacated the house. Names of those people must come out. SP will give Rs 11 lakh to the person who exposes their names,” he said. “Neither did we cause any damage to the house nor did we make any illegal constructions. We have provided all the evidence in the form of NOCs (no objection certifications), maps and other documents. Now, the big ministers of the BJP government are writing applications to get the bungalow,” Yadav said.
He added the ministers were not interested in the bungalows vacated by other former chief ministers Rajnath Singh or Kalyan Singh. “They want the one that was vacated by me. So one can easily guess whose government did development works,” he said.
Yadav has been under attack over alleged illegal construction and the damage caused to the government bungalow allotted to him.
Earlier last week, citing a 266page report of a technical committee, the government said that an estimated damage to the tune of Rs 5.84 lakh was caused in the bungalow which included floor, brickworks, plaster, paint and sanitary fixtures.
Earlier, health minister Sidharth Nath Singh had said the
report submitted by the fivemember committee had stated that Yadav not only caused damage to the government bungalow but also carried out illegal construction inside it.
“He carried out extra construction without taking permission of the estate department. Legal action will be taken against him for flouting the rules,” he added.
The estate department’s documents released by the SP said Rs 89.9 lakh were released for the outhouse, security room and waiting room in 2015 and the LDA-approved maps showed that the constructions were legal.
The Supreme Court on May 7, 2018, struck down the amendment to the Uttar Pradesh Ministers (salaries, allowances and miscellaneous provisions) Act, 1981, to provide for allotment of government residence to former CMs for lifetime.
Former CMs, including Mayawati, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Rajnath Singh, Kalyan Singh, Akhilesh Yadav and ND Tiwari vacated the government bungalows following the Supreme Court order.