Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday conducted raids at several locations in Uttar Pradesh in connection with 1,400 crore memorial scam during BSP‘s Supreme Mayawati Tenure in the state. The state government headed by the then Chief Minister Mayawati had built the memorials, statues and parks at a cost over 2600 crore in Lucknow, Noida, and many other places in the state.

It was alleged that it ‘resulted in the loss of over Rs 111,44,35,066 to the government exchequer and unlawful gain to public servants and private individuals’ reported Hindustan Times.

As per the sources, many bureaucrats are also on the ED radar as the raids and searches in the state are underway. The house of then MD of UP Nirman Nigam CP Singh in Lucknow was searched by the officials along with places of officers and contractors involved in the alleged scam.

Sources claimed that Central probing agency has filed a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to investigate after taking cognisance of the complaint by state vigilance Department in 2014. The Vigilance Department had in 2014 filed the complaint under many sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The State Vigilance Department in its complaint has accused financial irregularities in the Construction of the memorial including statues of BSP Founder Kanshiram and BSP symbol ‘elephant’.

The State Vigilance Department had filed a case following the report by UP Lokayukta. State Lokayukta in its 88 pages report that was handed over the state the then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had indicated Naseemduddin Siddiqui and Babu Singh Kushwaha of ‘wrong-doings’ along with many others. However, UP Lokayukta NK Mehrotra exonerated BSF chief Mayawati for lack of evidence and said there was no proof against her or any bureaucrat.

ED raids came days after CBI had conducted more than a dozen raids in connection with UP illegal mining case and the agency is probing the role of Former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav role the alleged UP mining scam.

Both Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav has forged an alliance to take on Bhartiya Janta Party for the upcoming Lok Sabha Polls 2019. Reacting on the development, Former CM Mayawati said that the agency is targeting the opposition parties ahead of Lok Sabha Polls.

By talharashid

Part-time Traveler| Full-time Political Enthusiast | Foodie | Strong Believer of Freedom of Speech and Expressions!

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