The war of words in this comedy of errors over former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav's now-vacated bungalow escalated on Wednesday. First, Yadav, in a dramatic press conference, complete with two taps in hand, blamed the Yogi Adityanath government of hatching a conspiracy to tarnish his image by levelling false allegations against him. In response, the BJP then asked Yadav to explain what was hidden behind the walls that were seen broken down in the pictures of the bungalow.
"I have handed back the bungalow in the same condition as it was allotted. Wooden floors and all the other fixtures are intact. Only a part of the damaged portion was photographed and shown around to defame me. People are talking about a swimming pool that was never even there in my bungalow," he alleged.
"I reiterate, I have only taken things that belong to me or I bought with my own money. All other things are intact in the bungalow. Let the government submit me a list of items which are missing. I will return or pay for it," he said, while holding the taps that he claimed he would return to the estate department.
Yadav went on to claim that he had decorated the bungalow by planting fruit trees and exotic plants. "Beauty of a house is due to its greenery and plants, not by items. What do these people (BJP) know about the art of living life," she said, adding, "I will now never live in a government accommodation. You never know when they conspire to eliminate me."
Meanwhile, immediately after Yadav's conference, BJP spokesperson and Cabinet minister Dr Siddharth Nath Singh countered the allegations and said, "Let him explain what was hidden behind the walls that he broke in the bungalow. Will he give an account of the money he has spent from his pocket on the renovation of the house? Where did he get that money from and has he paid taxes on it?"
Suggesting that the I-T department will be on Yadav's tail soon, Singh said, "The Estate department has all the details and we have sought details from other departments, too, if they were asked to spend any money on his bungalow. All his claims will be exposed soon and he will scurry for cover."
