LUCKNOW, May 24: For some politicians in Uttar Pradesh, perks and privileges appear to be forever. Chief Minister Mayawati's eviction drive of unauthorised occupants of government accomodation too has come a cropper due to its partisan approach.Though estate department officials evicted over three dozen politicians from various government colonies during the past fortnight, it was yet to act against unauthorised occupants holding senior positions in the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party-Bharatiya Janata Party Government.The estate department swung into action on the plea that the new ministers were not getting government houses while ``illegal occupants'' had stick on to these places. Among the firsts to be bogged down in the eviction spree was the expelled BSP leader and former State party chief, Bhagwat Pal.His belongings were thrown on the road from the two government houses he possessed. It is another matter, however, that Pal's forcible expulsion had nothing to do with the accomodation problem of new ministers but was a prelude to his expulsion from the party.Pal had earned Mayawati's ire owing to his growing clout within the party. An angry Mayawati admonished the estate department to oust Pal from the government house while he was away in New Delhi complaining to party supremo Kanshi Ram about her autocratic functioning. He has also been denied permission to stay in the State guest house.Among others ousted from their Government accomodation are Ramesh Pokhriyal of the BJP, Masood Ahmed, former education minister and BSP leader, BKKP leader Samarpal Singh and former minister and the Samajwadi Party leader Reoti Raman Singh.Even as the department claimed that it had removed ``illegal occupants'', almost a dozen ministers in the coalition government still occupy two or more houses. No attempt was made to evict them from either of the houses.Cabinet Minister Lalji Tandon of the BJP has three government houses alloted in his name. House number 1304 in the multi-storey Dalibagh colony and house number 125 in Daurlshafa are registered in his name with the department.After becoming a minister, Tandon now lives in a palatial house at the posh Mall Avenue colony.Senior BSP leader and Transport Minister R K Chowdhary has a government accomodation each at Kalidas marg and Royal hotel. Irrigation Minister Om Prakash Singh, Higher Education minister Narendra Singh Gaur, Buniyad Hussain Ansari and Nassimudin Siddique (both BSP) too have two government houses under their possession.While estate department director M A Siddique has kept mum on the alleged irregularties in the allotment of houses, he has justified the ongoing eviction drive. He said a number of bungalows have been illegally occupied by former ministers though they were alloted for a specified period.
