The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh and the Samajwadi Party on Sunday traded accusations over the condition of a government bungalow recently vacated by former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
Yadav handed over the keys of the official bungalow allotted to him on Vikramaditya Marg in Lucknow to the Uttar Pradesh estate department on Friday, about a month after the Supreme Court said that former chief ministers of the state cannot retain their government accommodation.
Photographs of the bungalow, taken soon after Yadav and his family vacated it, showed floors and wall tiles damaged, NDTV reported. Air conditioning ducts and electrical switch boards were also missing.
Yadav claimed it was a “deliberate attempt” by the government to tarnish his rising popularity. “I have neither caused any damage to the house from which I moved out nor carried anything away,” Hindustan Times quoted Yadav as saying on Saturday.
“The damage done to the bungalow before it was vacated by [Akhilesh] Yadav shows his frustration,” BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi told PTI.
State BJP leader Harish Srivastava said the incident would make “people notice the self-serving nature of this politician who never fails to preach to others about morality and governance”, according to Hindustan Times.
Uttar Pradesh estates department official Yogesh Kumar Shukla told PTI that they will do an inventory and serve a notice if there is any “intentional damage”.
The state estate department had served notices to six former chief ministers – Narayan Dutt Tiwari, Kalyan Singh, Rajnath Singh, Mayawati, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav – asking them to vacate their official bungalows by June 3 in compliance with the Supreme Court order.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!