UP govt, Raj Bhawan feud crops up once again

The ongoing feud between the UP government and Raj Bhawan came to the fore once again with senior minister Azam Khan expressing displeasure over the Governor delaying assent to a bill concerning urban local bodies on Wednesday.

“The Bill making mayors answerable in cases of financial irregularities is pending...it is very wrong if the Raj Bhawan gives patronage to those indulging in embezzlement,” said Khan, who holds the key portfolios of parliamentary affairs and urban development.

“There are numerous complaints (of financial irregularities) in local bodies because of which we had to enact law as we wanted to curb corruption,” the senior Samajwadi Party leader said.

The SP leader, who has in the past made unsavoury comments on Raj Bhawan, asked as to why the Governor was always in an angry mood. “Buzurg toh shant hote hain...gussa jawani ki akad hoti hai (the elderly are quiet, anger is a trait of youth),” he said.

The Akhilesh Yadav government and the Governor have also differed on the appointment of a new Lokayukta with the file recommending the name of retired judge Ravindra Singh Yadav, having moved back and forth nearly half a dozen times between the two factions.