UP Lokayukta blames Mayawati govt for Rs 1400 cr statue scam

In a damning report against the previous state government, the Uttar Pradesh Lokayukta has written to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, claiming that as much as Rs 1400 crore was siphoned off by BSP ministers during the regime of his predecessor Mayawati. [caption id=“attachment_798621” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Did Mayawati’s ministers siphon off Rs 1400 crore? PTI[/caption] The report named the BSP’s national general secretary Naseemuddin Siddiqqui, as well as Mayawati’s former right hand man Babu Singh Kushwaha as the main accused in the scam, which involved siphoning off money allocated for building parks and memorials. UP Lokayukta MK Malhotra has recommended probes against Siddiqui as well as 900 others who were reportedly identified in the report. Among those blamed by the Lokayukta include 37 accountants and over 50 government engineers, reported CNN-IBN. The Lokayukta has recommended that a probe into the issue should be conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation CBI and Enforcement Directorate.