The Uttar Pradesh government has allocated a prime bungalow to the former Samajwadi leader and founder of Samajwadi Party Secular Morcha Shivpal Yadav. BSP supremo Mayawati previously occupied the bungalow. The allotment is seen as BJP’s strategy to woo leaders of opposition parties, and Yadav is the latest addition in the list that includes Amar Singh, Naresh Agarwal, and Gaurav Bhatia, among many others.
The BJP spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain asserted that the bungalow was allotted to Shivpal Yadav as he was a six-time legislator and a senior leader. The party denied the alleged involvement of politics in the allocation.
The Samajwadi Secular Morcha chief had earlier claimed that he had been allotted the bungalow as there were intelligence reports of threats to him. He had launched his new party in August this year.
Hussain also added that even the Congress party leaders were benefited with this type of facility at Delhi. Refuting his points, the Congress spokesman stated that none but only senior leaders of his party were given such accommodations. His party sees favouritism in the bungalow allocation.
Samajwadi Party’s spokesperson pointed out that it was now clear who was with the BJP. The allotment of prime bungalow showed that the BJP was helping him. However, she stressed that her party had no objection to this accommodation facility.
Denying the charges, the Samajwadi Secular Morcha spokesman Mohd Shahid maintained that his party was not siding with the BJP. It was the SP which remained lenient.
Om Prakash Rajbhar, a cabinet minister in the Yogi government, has claimed that his request for party office was overlooked to allot the bungalow to Yadav. He has alleged that the party is supporting the rebel SP leader who floated a new party SP Secular Morcha in August this year.
Shivpal Yadav, however, asserted that he had applied for a government bungalow that was allotted to him after following all the rules and regulations.
On May 7, the Supreme Court struck down an amendment to the UP Ministers (Salaries, Allowances and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act that allowed former chief ministers to retain their government accommodation. Soon after this several senior leaders like BSP chief Mayawati and SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav along with former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav was mandated to vacate their bungalows.