More trouble for BSP supremo Mayawati and her brother Anand Kumar as their native villagers have moved the Allahabad High Court challenging wrongful acquisition of farmers’ land. The villagers allege that land was acquired purportedly for industrial use, with the promise of employment to local people.
However, it has been used to lay parks, gardens, roads and a helipad on either side of a private estate with a palatial mansion in its midst. More than 65 farmers from the village are challenging the land acquisition.
Court notice
Notably, the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday issued notices to Ms. Mayawati, her brother Mr. Anand Kumar and relative Prabhu Dayal in a case of alleged manipulation to declare 47,433 sq metre land in Badalpur village as ‘abadi’ (area under habitation).
Ms. Mayawati seeks votes in the Uttar Pradesh-National Capital Region, calling herself the “daughter of the region.” But Badalpur, her birthplace in Gautam Budh Nagar district, didn’t seem too eager to display such filial affection. The villagers are still sore about the acquisition of 230 hectares of what they call fertile land that took place when the BSP boss was Chief Minister.
“We have approached the Allahabad High Court seeking to quash the notification [of acquisition of land] and return the land to the villagers. The land was acquired purportedly for industrial use, with the promise of employment to local people. However, it has been used to lay down parks, gardens, roads and a helipad on either side of a private estate with a palatial mansion in its midst,” said Master Bhagat Singh who lives just opposite the huge mansion where Ms. Mayawati’s kin live.
“Farmland was forcefully acquired and now farming is being done inside the mansion, where Ms. Mayawati’s kin live. Some of the villagers have already approached court for justice. This week, 65 more farmers will move the High Court,” Mr. Singh said.
Voicing the common feeling of betrayal, Rohit Nagar, who lost ancestral farmland in the village, said, “Land was acquired with the promise that there would be jobs and industries. We were told that everything in the village would change for the better because the Chief Minister had her roots in the village, but right now, we are going to lose our homesteads, whereas all around we would have parks, mansions and a helipad. It would be of no use to us.”
