Chief Minister Mayawati may claim that her family members have nothing to do with the Bahujan Samaj Party, but that doesn’t stop her brother, Anand Kumar, from being a beneficiary of its generosity. On June 7 this year, the party donated its Bahujan Samaj Prerna Kendra, spread over 2,164 sq metres in the city’s prime area, to the Bahujan Prerna Trust, a private trust set up and headed by Kumar.According to a deed of the gift, a copy of which is with The Indian Express, the market value of the Prerna Kendra located at 5, Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg is over Rs 1.25 crore. The gift stamp duty paid for the property, which houses the mortal remains of BSP founder Kanshi Ram, was Rs 19.5 lakh. Clause 12 of the deed clearly states that “all the expenses including cost of stamp, registration charges etc for the purpose of execution of this deed have been borne and paid by the donor (BSP).”As per the deed, “the donee (Kumar) shall be absolute and exclusive owner of the said property, subject matter of this deed, with full rights to use and enjoy the said property in the manner deemed just and proper by the donee.”State Minister Babu Singh Kushwaha has signed the agreement on behalf of the BSP which bought the property at an auction on February 18, 2003 during Mayawati’s earlier term as CM. Defending the decision, Kushwaha said: “It was a correct decision to hand it over to a trust. It is immaterial who the trustee is. The purpose is to develop the Prerna Kendra further as a centre of inspiration for those who believe in the philosophy of Kanshi Ram.”
