BJP government is deliberately maligning my image : Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, who had literally vacated the official bungalow along with tapes and tiles on Saturday, came out with a bizarre argument accusing the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath government and BJP for the vandalism at the official accommodation.  This comes after BJP slammed the former chief minister over the alleged damage caused to the government bungalow where Akhilesh Yadav used to reside.

“The BJP government is deliberately maligning my image. One can learn such tactics from the dirty tricks department of the ruling party as to how to malign a political leader. I took only my goods and article. I have not taken away any costly item from the official bungalow infect I left behind large number of   items like the costly plants dedicated to Lord Krishna’’, said Akhilesh Yadav here on Sunday adding`` the media should go and inspect all the rooms including the temple and the toilets. The government should give me a list of the missing items and I will pay  for that , the government should also return all those items left behind by me in that bungalow’’.

SP also deployed its other leaders to defend its president. The party MLC and close aide of the SP president, Sunil Yadav said, “After handing over keys of the government bungalow, the damages inside the premises was done on the instructions of the CM Yogi Adityanath himself.   It was not the estate officer but the OSD to the chief minister who took the media to take a round of the bungalow. This was deliberately done on the instructions of the chief  minister to malign  Akhilesh Yadav’s image in public because CM is frustrated after losing a series of by polls”, claimed Sunil Yadav.

A verbal war started on Saturday in Uttar Pradesh between ruling BJP and the opposition SP. According to officials, the government accommodation was left in a bad shape with missing water taps, broken taps, lights, bathroom fittings, electrical fittings, broken tiles. The swimming pool, cycle track and kitchen were also damaged. The officials of the state Estates department gave the media access to the bungalow on Vikramaditya Marg after Akhilesh Yadav handed the keys to it. 

The BJP has accused former Chief Minister of damaging the property “out of frustration”. UP BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi asked the Samajwadi party to explain why the tiles at the bungalow were uprooted. “The damage done to the bungalow before it was vacated by Yadav shows his frustration,” said Tripathi here on Sunday.

He said “One would understand if they took air-conditioners, but even electric bulb holders and tiles are missing. The broken tiles cannot be used again, which shows he acted out of frustration, just like a kid.  “Mulayam Singh Yadav, Rajnath Singh and Mayawati’s bungalows had no such damage.”

Reacting to Tripathi’s comment, Samajwadi party has also hit back. Opposition leader in state assembly Ram Govind Chaudhary accused the Yogi Adityanath government of maligning the image of Akhilesh Yadav. “Despite several inquiries into (Akhilesh)’s projects, like Lucknow-Agra Expressway, they could not find any corruption or any lacunae,” Chaudhary said.

Except for ND Tiwari, all other former chief ministers of the state have vacated their official bungalows. The Estates department had served notices on Akhilesh Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Rajnath Singh, Mayawati and ND Tiwari, asking them to vacate houses allocated to them as former CMs by June 2.