Lucknow: The BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government organised a grand event on the Gomti riverfront in Lucknow for the immersion of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee‘s ashes in August last year, but now no one is ready to foot the Rs 2.5 crore bill.

The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA), tasked with organising the function on the promise that it will be compensated later, paid the bill but has failed to claim the expense from the state government.

The case came to light on 21 June when a Hindi daily quoted LDA secretary M.P. Singh as saying that the state government needed to pay the bill for the function. Amid the ensuing  furore, Singh said his remarks were distorted and he has since been avoiding the media.

However, ThePrint has accessed several letters exchanged between the LDA, an autonomous body under the department of housing and urban development, and the state government’s information department, which suggest a reluctance on the administration’s part to pay the bill.

In January 2019, Singh wrote to the state administration seeking funds for expenses made on account of the funeral function. When no action was taken by the state administration, Singh sent a reminder on 15 March 2019.

Following this, the information department sent a reply dated 15 May, stating that its budget didn’t account for such a function.

Approached by ThePrint for comment, officials in the information department said the payments will be released soon.

One of the officials said they came to know about this very recently and they had already forwarded the files for further action.

Information director Sishir Singh refused to share any details, but said the matter will be “settled amicably as soon as possible”.

Final farewell

Former PM Vajpayee passed away on 16 August 2018 at the age of 93. The immersion of his ashes was scheduled for 23 August in Lucknow, which Vajpayee represented in the Lok Sabha for five consecutive terms.

For this, the state government organised a programme on the Gomti riverfront near Hanuman Setu. Then union home minister Rajnath Singh, who brought the ashes to Lucknow, and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended the function.

The total expense of the event was estimated at Rs 2,54,29,250, for arrangements such as the stage, sound system, lighting, tent and barricading. While asking the LDA to organise the function, the state administration told the civic agency that the budget for the function would be allocated afterwards. LDA officials are now trying to track who exactly from the government issued the official order to make these arrangements.

‘Quite shameful’

BJP leaders are trying to stay away from the controversy. Talking to ThePrint, BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said Atalji “continues to live in the hearts of not only BJP leaders but also other people”.

“If officials have caused any kind of delay in payments related to his asthi visarjan samaroh, we hope the state government will soon take cognisance of the matter,” he added.

UP government spokesperson Srikant Sharma was unavailable for comment.

The opposition, meanwhile, has seized on the issue to attack the Adityanath government. “The BJP keeps using Atalji’s name on every possible occasion. It plays politics in his name. But now no one in a BJP-ruled state is ready to bear the expenditure for the function organised to immerse his mortal remains,” said Congress MLA Ajay Lallu said. “This is quite shameful.”

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