Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav kicked off a fresh controversy in the state assembly on Tuesday by suggesting MLAs to buy cars within Rs 2 million using their area developmental funds.
Akhilesh has proposed this plan to help the members who are not capable of buying a car.
According to Akhilesh Yadav, a legislative member needs a car to visit places and effectively survey work across his/her constituency. Hence, the MLAs, who don't own a car can buy one using the local area development (LAD) fund.
Eventually, the MLAs who brought a car using the public funds either should return the car back to the government at the end of their five-year-term at office or purchase it for themselves at depreciated value.
As part of the announcement, Yadav has also hiked the MLA's developmental funds from Rs 1.25 crore to 1.50 crore.
The Uttar Pradesh state assembly consist of about 403 MLAs. If everybody claims Rs 2 million for buying cars from the developmental funds, then it would incur a cost of Rs 80 crore to the state exchequer, which could cause more monetary problems for already cash-starved state.
"Despite a financial crisis, the SP government has fulfilled all the promises it made in the party manifesto in the budget. We entitle MLAs to purchase vehicles upto Rs 20 lakh from their local area development fund", Yadav told the assembly, according to the media reports.
Earlier, Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party and other political parties accused former Mayawati led-BSP government of wasting the public money undesirably for raising unnecessary parks, memorials and statues across the state.
Now, Yadav has given space for his political rivals to take on him, citing the same issue of wasting taxpayers' money.
The latest offering by the Akhilesh Yadav government was not welcomed by the assembly members, most of them were reluctant to buy cars under this offer.
