Continuing with his Government’s commitment to austerity in government spending, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath rejected a proposal from the Estate Department to purchase two high-end Mercedes cars for his fleet. A senior official told ‘The Pioneer’ on Tuesday that the CM out- rightly rejected the Estate Department’s proposal to purchase two Mercedes SUV for his fleet. These cars would have cost the state exchequer over Rs 3.5 crore. “When this proposal was brought to the notice of the CM, he rejected it point blank, saying that there was no need for new SUVs for his fleet as the present ones were okay,” the official said. The cars in the CM’s present fleet were purchased by the previous Akhilesh Yadav Government three years back. This is the second time that Yogi has turned down Estate Department proposal to purchase high-end car. Earlier, the CM had refused to approve the purchase of vehicles worth Rs 30-lakh each for his ministers. Yogi is also heading the Estate department. The previous Samajwadi Party Government had purchased two Mercedes SUVs worth Rs 1.5-crore each for the then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. One of these cars was used by Akhilesh while the other one was used by Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was then Samajwadi Party chief. But after the change of guards in the state, Mulayam is yet to return the Mercedes to the Estate department. Chief Minister Adityanath Yogi has asked his officials not to put pressure on the SP patriarch to return the SUV. The previous SP Government had purchased a Skoda SUV worth Rs 37-lakh for former minister Mohammad Azam Khan. But presently the vehicle has not be given to any of the ministers so far.