BJP govt allots bungalow vacated by Maya to Shivpal
LUCKNOW: The state government on Friday allotted the 6, Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg bungalow – vacated by BSP president Mayawati on May 30 following a Supreme Court order – to Samajwadi Secular Morcha (SSM) chief Shivpal Yadav.
The allotment of the bungalow in Mall Avenue to Shivpal is being seen by political observers as a sign of growing bonhomie between Shivpal and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
On May 7 this year, the Supreme Court had struck down a provision of an Uttar Pradesh law that let former chief ministers retain government bungalows. Former chief ministers Akhilesh Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mayawati, Rajnath Singh, ND Tiwari and Kalyan Singh had to vacate their bungalows after the SC order.
Hardly a month after Shivpal applied for registration of his political front with the Election Commission, he was allotted the bungalow located near the chief minister’s office. Interestingly, the office of frontal organisations of the Samajwadi Party is located adjacent to the bungalow.
Justifying the allotment, estate officer Yogesh Shukla said Shivpal was a senior politician and a five-time MLA.
“He is eligible for allotment of Category 6 bungalow. The estate department had also received an application from him for allotment of a government accommodation according to his seniority. The bungalow on Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg was lying vacant and has been allotted to him,” he said.
Presently, Shivpal is managing political activities from his house on Vikramaditya Marg.
Shivpal said he was allotted the bungalow as he was a fivetime legislator and a senior political leader.
“I have been allotted the bungalow as there were intelligence reports of threats to me,” he said.
The decision has not gone down well with the opposition parties that have been served notice by the estate department to vacate their premises.
Samajwadi Party spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said: “This is how the BJP government functions. They play with democracy and misuse power.”
UPCC media coordinator Rajiv Bakshi said Shivpal’s proximity to the BJP was being talked about for long. “When you help somebody, you are bound to be helped,” he said.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ramesh Dixit said the state government had allotted bungalow to the leader of a political party which was still in its nascent stage while national and regional parties were being served notices to vacate offices allotted by the estate department.
“This clearly shows the dual policy of the BJP government. The parties that toe its line are allotted bungalows while opposition parties are threatened with notices,” he said.
However, UP BJP spokesman Shalabh Mani Tripathi said no politics should be seen in the allotment of the bungalow to Shivpal. “He is a senior leader and a former minister and legislator. His seniority must have been taken into account for the allotment,” he said.
While Shivpal was busy in a programme organised to mark the death anniversary of socialist ideologue Ram Manohar Lohia, a large number of Samajwadi Secular Morcha supporters reached the bungalow with estate department officials.
Upendra Singh, a Shivpal supporter, said: “The bungalow will be used as the office of the Morcha. Shivpal has also launched frontal organisations which will be accommodated in the bungalow. The estate department has been asked to deck up the bungalow. Shivpal is likely to arrive here during the ongoing auspicious days of Navratri,” he said.
An estate department officer, who did not wish to be named, said the bungalows vacated by other former CMs would be also allotted to senior politicians.
The estate department has issued notices to three trusts – Veer Bahadur Singh Sewa Sansthan, Mahatam Rai Trust and Ambedkar Mahasabha to vacate the bungalows within four months in view of the apex court order.