A day after the former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav vacated his official bungalow in a vandalised state, he had been occupying for last over one year the minister of state transport Swatantra Dev Singh on Sunday demanded high level probe into the incident. He said the former chief minister has violated the Supreme Court orders by damaging the official accommodation and the probe will bring out the truth.
“leaders like Akhilesh Yadav claim to represent the poor and the downtrodden masses. His claim is bogus as he is used to luxurious and lavish life at the cost of the state exchequer. Akhilesh Yadav and other leaders of his ilk who have amassed huge wealth and now coming together to escape from the corruption charges spent hundreds of crores of people’s money for their luxury and comfort’’, said Swatantra Dev Singh here on Sunday.
“Removing of air conditioners and Italian tiles and marbles should not have been done because these are government properties. He has violated SC order. An investigation is needed,” Singh said. Yadav, who recently vacated a government bungalow in compliance with Supreme Court’s order and shifted to a private villa, has allegedly taken away imported tiles, ceiling, ACs, garden lights and bathroom fittings among others.
The minister said `` chief minister Yogi Adityanath too shifted to the official residence of the chief minister in March last year but nothing was changed there. There was neither any demolition nor any new construction’’, said the minister.
On June 2, Yadav vacated his official residence, complying with the SC’s order on the matter. Akhilesh now resides at the Ansal township on Sultanpur road in lucknow. The Supreme Court in May 2016 quashed the law passed by the then Samajwadi party government, which granted permanent residential accommodation to former chief ministers of the state. The apex court, in its order, said former chief ministers of the state were not entitled to government bungalows.
Thereafter, incumbent UP chief minister Adityanath government issued notices in May this year to six former state chief ministers to vacate their official bungalows, including Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mayawati, and Union home minister Rajnath Singh and Rajasthan governor Kalyan Singh. Notices were sent by the estate department asking the former chief ministers to vacate their bungalows within 15 days post the issue of notices.