Under fire from all quarters for his decision to allow legislators to buy luxury cars costing up to Rs. 20 lakh from the constituency development fund, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav withdrew it within 24 hours of his announcement in the Assembly on Tuesday.
The Opposition unanimously rejected the offer, saying it amounted to misuse of the Vidhayak Nidhi for self-gratification and would send a wrong signal.
The embarrassment to the new Samajwadi Party government headed by the youngest Chief Minister, who turned 39 only on July 1, comes on the heels of its scrapping a decision last month on closure of shopping malls, multiplexes and commercial establishments at 7 p.m. to tide over the power crisis. The move was withdrawn within 24 hours following a public outcry and criticism from trade organisations.
On Wednesday, Mr. Yadav told journalists here that the move to enable legislators to get luxury cars was dropped in view of the “suggestions” from the Opposition, which, he said, played an important role in the parliamentary democracy. The government had no reservations about accepting “good” and “appropriate” suggestions.
Mr. Yadav, however, defended his offer, citing the mobility factor of the legislators. “They have to tour their areas for solving the problems of their constituents, and there are many legislators who have been unable to buy a new vehicle and are using the old ones. There are some legislators who were not in a position to purchase cars, which impacted on constituency visit… The facility was optional given to a legislator once in five years, and it now stands withdrawn.”
Mr. Yadav’s announcement on Tuesday raised eyebrows, particularly in the backdrop of the State’s not-so-good finances. If all the 403 MLAs and 100 MLCs were permitted to buy a car worth Rs. 20 lakh, it would cost the exchequer more than Rs. 100 crore, it was pointed out.
Leader of the Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha Swamy Prasad Maurya welcomed the government decision to withdraw the facility. BJP State president Laxmikant Bajpai described it as “people’s victory”.
