Ever since he took over the reins in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav has been busy cornering his predecessor, Mayawati, by ordering a multi-dimensional probe into ‘‘shady land deals’’ during her tenure and also reversing decisions she took during her last month in office.He has sought a status report on the new districts created by Mayawati, ostensibly to save an estimated Rs 2,000 crore that would have been spent on creating the necessary infrastructure.While assuring that he isn’t going to engage in a vendetta, Mulayam has ordered a probe into the land and house allotments made in Noida, Greater Noida, Saharanpur, Meerut, Ghaziabad and Lucknow by the Housing Board and Development Authorities across the state during the month of August.The Chief Minister has also stayed appointments and promotions made during this period by Mayawati. For Mulayam, former government counsel Ajay Agarwal has come as a handy weapon to browbeat his political opponent as the lawyer reportedly told the CBI that Mayawati had allotted several properties to her kith and kin during her last few days in office. He reportedly said that most of these properties were registered in benami, violating the prescribed circle rate and evading stamp duty to the tune of crores of rupees.Noida Chairperson T. George Joseph, who headed the probe, has reportedly pointed out that 16 appointments in the clerical grade were made on August 26 in complete violation of the prescribed procedure. Allotment of plots have been made in an irregular manner in Ghaziabad, Meerut and Saharanpur. Fixing September 12 as the deadline for getting all the information, the state government has asked all development authorities and the UP Housing Board to submit detailed reports of appointments, transfers, promotions and property allotments. ‘‘My government will not spare the guilty and will not pose any impediments if the rule of law takes it own course,’’ the Chief Minister told mediapersons today.He has also ordered an inquiry into the funds released by Mayawati for her dream project of Ambedkar Museum and Library, a day before she quit office. So crucial are these projects to Mayawati that she mentioned them in her 30-page letter to the Prime Minister that explained why she had decided to sever ties with the BJP. ‘‘I knew that the BJP would withdraw support to my government anytime but I waited because I had to get the Ambedkar museum and the Library completed.now these have been finished,’’ she reportedly said in the letter to the PM.
