Akhilesh Yadav Announces Rs 11 Lakh Reward For Info on ‘Culprits’ Who Damaged Govt Bungalow

Lucknow: Former UP chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday announced a cash prize of Rs 11 lakh to anyone who gave the names of those who had damaged a government bungalow he vacated recently.

Akhilesh had vacated the bungalow after the apex court ordered that former Uttar Pradesh chief ministers cannot retain government accommodations even after demitting the office.

While addressing a gathering at Janeshwar Mishra Park in Lucknow to mark the birth anniversary of late Samajwadi Party leader Janeshwar Mishra, Akhilesh said, “Few people had gone to the bungalow vacated by me with hammers, cameras and other instruments. The property was vandalised in a planned way as it was part of a conspiracy to put the blame on me. I hereby announce a cash reward of Rs 11 lakh to anyone who can give leads on the people who had actually damaged the bungalow.”

Akhilesh dismissed recent media reports that claimed that he had undertaken illegal construction in the bungalow.

“We had taken No Objection Certificate from Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) before the construction work in 2015. The house which I have vacated was not mine, it belonged to the government,” he added.

SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav also attended the event held at Janeshwar Mishra Park.

A few days ago, an inquiry report by officials of PWD had submitted its report to State Estates Department and said that illegal construction had damaged the bungalow, which was worth crores.

Papers and NOC in possession of News18 reveal that LDA had given the NOC in 2015 for the construction in the bungalow.

Earlier, senior cabinet minister Siddharth Nath Singh had accused the SP chief of damaging the bungalow before vacating it. "...One thing is clear that he undertook some construction work for which he did not take permission from the Estates Department. There is a law in place for this (unauthorised construction) and the law will take its course," Singh had told PTI.

The SP leader, however, said that the BJP was trying to tarnish his reputation.