Nowhere does the rivalry between Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party seem more intense than the penchant of their respective chief ministers for profligacy in decorating the official residence.
If the latest revelations are anything, the bragging rights now rest with the young Akhilesh Yadav who has outspent his predecessor Mayawati in spending tax payer’s money on the official residence at 5, Kalidas Marg.
An RTI petition by Lucknow-based activist Urvashi Sharma querying officials on the amount spent on the chief minister’s residence during the fiscal years 2011-12 and 2012-13 has shown that Akhilesh has spent around Rs 43.50 lakh in his year-long occupation of the official bungalow since assuming the position in 2012.
This is almost double the Rs 23.20 lakh Mayawati had spent on the bungalow during her stint preceding Akhilesh in 2011-12. The finding has understandably outraged activists.
The opposition attacked the chief minister for his extravagance. “The SP government is no different from the previous BSP regime. It has no money for undertaking developmental projects but it is spending huge amounts on decorating the official residence of the chief minister,” said state BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak.