Mayawati’s “no political vendetta” chime does not apply to the friends of Mulayam Singh Yadav. And after Anil Ambani, the other Mulayam friend lined up for Mayawati’s chopping board is Amitabh Bachchan. The contentious issue of the land sale in Barabanki which gave Bachchan farmer status and was omitted in wife Jaya’s Rajya Sabha election affidavit is likely to conclude soon with criminal charges being pressed against the mister and the missus losing her Rajya Sabha berth.
While a report on the deal has been submitted by Barabanki DM Leena Johri, it is learnt that the land which Big B claims as his, is allotted to others.
Land number 702 in Daulatpur village lies on the border of Fatehpur (Barabanki) and Mehmodabad (Sitapur) and was allotted to 12 farmers in 1970. The ownership of this plot measuring 16 bighas has been a sticking point between the two districts and the matter is lying with the state’s Board of Revenue for a final decision.
Johri’s report indicates that the Land Revenue Inspector (Lekhpal) of Daulatpur village was pressurised to allot a portion of this land (2.5 bighas) in Bachchan’s name. All this happened in the ADM’s office without verifying the actual ground situation.
The report quotes the findings of land consolidation (chakbandi) officer R P Shukla and points out that the land records have been forged to prove Bachchan’s ownership of the said land.
The entry in form-45 of the land revenue records pertaining to Land 702, supposedly made on January 11, 1983 — which shows the land in Bachchan’s name has been forged. This is proved by the fact that of the seven other entries listed on the same day, Bachchan’s is the only entry which is in a different writing and in different ink.
It was a certificate produced on the basis of this forged entry made public last year on March 10, that helped Bachchan prove to the Pune district authorities his “farmer” status and thus retain 24 acres of land in Maval, land which under Maharashtra’s Tenacy laws can be held only by a farmer.
But if “farmer” Bachchan were ever to land in Daulatpur to lay claim to his plot, he will have to face Karnail Singh, who has a house on Bachchan’s portion of the land. Singh is emphatic, he will not leave his land for any famous person. “Let him come and fight me for it,” he declares. It’s a fight Bachchan is unlikely to relish.