Days after notices were served to six former UP chief ministers to vacate their government bungalows in Lucknow in consonance with a Supreme Court order, the BSP claimed that Mayawati’s residence was a memorial to party founder Kanshi Ram.
On the other hand, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has sought permission to stay for two more years citing security reasons.
In support of the BSP’s claim, a board describing the sprawling bungalow of Mayawati as Sri Kanshiram Ji Yadgar Vishram Sthal was put up on the boundary wall of the premises at 13A Mall Avenue on Monday.
Till Sunday, the bungalow was the four-time UP chief minister’s official residence.
The development came after the estate department issued notices on May 17, asking the ex-CMs to vacate the bungalows within 15 days.
As Mayawati was in Delhi, her staff received the order in Lucknow. A senior BSP leader said she occupied a few rooms in the memorial and she will vacate them and shift to the nearby bungalow number 9 that she had purchased in 2010.
Since the bungalow had been converted into a memorial of Kanshi Ram, it would remain in the possession of the party, they said.
Estate officer Yogesh Shukla, however, said the bungalow was not the BSP’s property but belonged to the state government.
