Lucknow, June 13: Former UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav Wednesday smelled a BJP “conspiracy” to malign him in reports of damage to the bungalow vacated by him here, drawing a sharp retort from the ruling party that slammed him for “using a language that showed his frustration”.
Stung by a letter written by Governor Ram Naik to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath about the damage at the bungalow on 4, Vikramaditya Marg, the SP chief convened a press conference here at a short notice to ventilate his ire at the ruling party and did not spare the governor in his outburst.
Akhilesh hit out at the Governor over the issue, saying he has the “soul of RSS” and sought to know as to why two state officials had entered the house before it was shown to the media. “I want to ask from the government as to why CM’s OSD Abhishek (Kaushik) and IAS Mrityunjay Narain went to my house before it was shown to the media. I want to ask them to check the inventory of the house and tell me what I have taken. I am waiting for the report,” a fuming Akhilesh said.
“It’s a conspiracy of the BJP after its humiliating defeat in by-elections in Gorakhpur, Phulpur, Kairana and Noorpur. It is rattled after these repeated defeats. I want to tell them (BJP) that the same officers will find out something when you (BJP) leave your house. They might come out with a ‘chilam’ (a small pipe that holds tobacco and other substances being smoked),” he said.
“If I am told about missing things, I will return the items immediately. Someone is saying Rs 42 crore was spent on the bungalow…Some say there was a swimming pool, which I filled before leaving the premises. I am ready to go there again. Show me where the pool is,” he said.
In less than an hour of his press conference, state government spokesperson and senior cabinet minister Siddharth Nath Singh said, “Akhilesh should tell Income Tax department, from where he got the money to invest in the bungalow. He should also tell as to what was kept behind the wall, which he has broken.” “We condemn the language used by him in his press conference, which depicted his frustration. You (media) have seen his body language…The name of IAS officer he mentioned did not go there,” Singh said.
About the governor’s intervention in the matter, he said, “Whatever letter the governor has written, will be looked into. No one should have objection to it.” BJP spokesman Chandramohan said, “The way in which Akhilesh damaged his house, shows his negative approach. He ran the previous government with the same negativity. He only claims himself to be a samajwadi, which he is not. He is projecting himself as an immature leader as once said by BSP supremo Mayawati.”
Attacking the governor, Akhilesh said, “He is a good person but he is not following the Constitution. He does not have the Constitution in his soul but there is the RSS,” he said, adding that he has “good relations” with the Governor.