Akhilesh on backfoot, goes back on car bonanza

Bhupendra Chaubey CNN-IBN | 04-Jul 21:45 PM

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was on Wednesday forced into a U-turn over his controversial car bonanza for MLAs, saying the offer was meant only to benefit poor MLAs.

However, CNN-IBN finds out that out of Akhilesh's 224 MLAs, as many as140 are crorepatis.

"I am cancelling my order due to the widespread criticism from media," said Akhilesh Yadav.

But the damage has already been done. To justify his decision on Tuesday, the Samajwadi Party leadership had said that usage of constituency development fund for cars was meant only for the benefit of poor MLAs.

An analysis of SP itself shows that out of a total of 224 MLAs, there are 140 crorepatis, which means 62 per cent of the SP MLAs are crorepati.

Out of this, there are nine MLAs who have assets over Rs 10 crore.

Akhilesh's richest MLA is Subhash from Saidpur constituency with total assets in excess of Rs 35 crore. Only one MLA, Tej Narayan from Ayodhya, is not a lakhpati, with total assets of Rs 66,612.

So where is the poor Samajwadi Party MLA for whom Akhilesh Yadav had initially conceived the scheme? If in Mayawati's tenure, wasteful expenditure was high, such as Rs 5000 crore on the construction of monuments, Akhilesh's tenure is fast becoming infamous for constant roll backs of decisions.

After promising a probe into excesses committed in construction of Mayawati's bungalow in Lucknow, Akhilesh said there wasnt any complaint before him.

In the mass transfers of IAS and IPS officers in first two months of coming to power, in some cases, same officer was transferred multiple times in one day.

Akhilesh also went back on decision of disconnecting electricity supply to commercial establishments post 7 pm.

With power still remaining a huge problem in Uttar Pradesh. The summer could well turn out to be case of trial by fire for the man, who was elected to power on the promise of changing the face of Uttar Pradesh.

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