Official accuses Samajwadi legislator of intimidation

A senior Uttar Pradesh district official has accused a Samajwadi Party legislator of intimidating him over house allotments.

In a letter to the district magistrate, Chief Development Officer (CDO) Harish Chandra has alleged that SP legislator from Mainpuri, Raj Kumar alias Raju Yadav, threatened him with transfer if he did not allot houses under the Lohia Awas to the people he recommended.

The official had cancelled a list of 200 names as they did not fulfil the eligibility criteria for getting these houses.

The legislator, known for his proximity with the Mulayam Singh Yadav clan, allegedly told the officer to submit to his wishes or face transfer to a non-descript district, sources said.

The official has been holding the additional charge of CDO for some time now.

In all, there are 600-plus Lohia houses costing Rs.3 lakhs to be given.

Chandra has sought protection from District Magistrate S.P. Mishra who has said that he will probe the charges.

State Minister and spokesman Rajendra Chowdhary also said that the party would check the veracity of the charges, adding that the legislator in question was a "gentleman".

Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak attacked the state government on the issue, and said such incidents were not shocking.

"This is happening all over the state. Earlier, a minister, Pandit Singh, had threatened a chief medical officer, he lost his ministry but was later reinstated," Pathak said.

"This very legislator has many charges of threatening officials but we do not expect any action against him as the state's chief minister is not only helpless but also turning a blind eye to such issues," he added.