Instead of investigating their own, BJP going after Opposition: Congress

After an RTI claimed that 86 percent of Samajwadi Party government's cow welfare fund has been granted to Mulayam's daughter-in-law's NGO, Congress leader Akhilesh Pratap on Monday said the Yogi Adityanath-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is targeting the opposition and is misleading people by making such an allegation.

"Since the BJP government has come into power in the state, they try to bring this kind of issue so that they can mislead the people and to divert their mind. They are not investigating against Om Prakash Rajbhar but they are investigation the opposition just to target them. People have very well understood this "bhed-bhav" government," Pratap told ANI.

The Uttar Pradesh animal husbandry department granted nearly 86 per cent to an NGO run by the former state chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's sister-in-law Aparna Yadav, according to an RTI reply.

The Uttar Pradesh Gau Seva Ayog allocated Rs 8.35 crore, nearly 86.4 per cent of its total budget of Rs 9.66 crore to Jeev Aashraya, an animal rescue organisation, between 2012 and 2017, when Akhilesh Yadav government was in power.

Aparna is the wife of Prateek Yadav, the step-brother of Akhilesh Yadav. Her NGO runs a gaushala at Amausi in Lucknow district.

Talking to ANI, RTI activist Nutan Thakur said the lease of land given to Aparna Yadav's organisation, initially for 3 years, was later extended to 5 years during Samajwadi Party's rule.

"This property was given to Jeev Aashraya on lease during SP government's rule. The validity of lease was extended by 5 years. 86% of fund received for Gau Seva was given to Aparna Yadav's organization. Aparna Yadav portrayed that she was running the organization with her own money but in fact it was the government's money. Political parties misuse public money for their own benefits. Reply to RTI is yet awaited," she added.