Akhilesh in 'bungalow damage' controversy; SP points fingers at Yogi

Akhilesh presser Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav at a press conference in Lucknow | PTI

Even as Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav vacated his official bungalow in Lucknow after a Supreme Court order against former chief ministers retaining government accommodations, a controversy has erupted over damage to the premises.

An official of the Uttar Pradesh estate department said Akhilesh vacated the premises and handed over the keys on Friday night.

Video clips have been circulating that showed damage to the building, with some news reports claiming Akhilesh had taken away air conditioners and imported sanitary fittings. The estate department said it would conduct an inventory check to verify losses or intentional damage and issue a notice to Akhilesh, if any damage was found.

The Samajwadi Party has thrashed the video clips and reports, calling them an attempt by the BJP government of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to tarnish Akhilesh's reputation after the Samajwadi Party was able to win a number of recent bypolls to the Lok Sabha and Assembly.

"The reason [for the rumours] is that after the electoral losses [of the BJP] in Gorakhpur, Phulpur, Kairana and Noorpur, the popularity of Akhilesh Yadav is increasing, and it has given reasons for UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to worry,” SP spokesperson Sunil Singh Sajan said.

Sajan asked the Adityanath government why no estate department official was present when the bungalow was shown to the media after it was vacated. He also alleged the bungalows of two previous BJP chief ministers—Kalyan Singh and Rajnath Singh—were not shown to the media after they were vacated.

Following the Supreme Court's order on May 7,the estate department had issued notices to six former chief ministers—N.D. Tiwari, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Kalyan, Mayawati, Rajnath and Akhilesh—to vacate their accommodations.

Currently, only Tiwari is left to vacate his official residence. His wife had reportedly sought more time, claiming her husband had been ailing for months and was in the “last stages” of his life.

(With PTI inputs)