Mayawati vacates one government bungalow, 'retains' another

Agreeing to a Supreme Court order, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati vacated a government house in Lucknow but is holding on to a second bungalow which her party says is a gift to their founder Kanshi Ram.

Her personal secretary on Wednesday said she has vacated the bungalow on 6, Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg which was allotted to her as former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.

A press release stated that the bungalow was vacated on Tuesday 'in compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court'.

The Supreme Court on May 7 said that the former chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh cannot retain government accommodation after leaving the office.

Following the order, the UP government on May 17 issued notices to Narayan Dutt Tiwari, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Kalyan Singh, Mayawati, Rajnath Singh and Akhilesh Yadav to vacate the bungalows.

The BSP, however, appears to suggest that the notice which Mayawati got is for the wrong bungalow.

The Bahujan Samaj Party said recently that the UP government notice asked Maywati to vacate 13A, Mall Avenue, and not the bungalow on Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg which they claim was actually allotted to her as a former chief minister.

Last week, a BSP delegation met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, claiming that the Mall Avenue bungalow had been converted into a Kanshi Ram memorial in 2011, and Mayawati occupied only two rooms in it.

On May 21, after it had received the vacation notice, the BSP also installed a board at that bungalow, terming it 'Shri Kanshi Ram Ji Yadgar Vishram Sthal'.

Mayawati's aide said the State Estates Officer was informed in writing that the Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg bungalow had been vacated.

But he refused to receive a copy of the letter, according to the press release.

The party then sent the letter and the keys of the bungalow through Speed Post, "which have been duly received? by his office today, it said.

But the estate department had recently said that as per their knowledge, the Mall Avenue bungalow was allotted to Mayawati in her capacity as a former CM.

Among the former chief ministers, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh have indicated their willingness vacate the official bungalows.

But the others have expressed reluctance to give them up.

N D Tiwari's wife Ujjwala Tiwari has sought more time, pleading that her husband was in the "last stages" of his life.

Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Akhilesh Yadav have written to the estate department seeking two more years at their official residences and have moved the apex court on this.