When Yogi Adityanath had assumed the post of the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, he had said without any sugar coating, “I will not tolerate any kind of corruption, come what may.” Most of the opposition, including the liberal intelligentsia, had scoffed at his words. Today, some of them must be regretting taking him lightly.
In a surprising and welcome move, Yogi Adityanath issued orders to cut electricity connections of politicians who were defaulting on their electricity bills. While this is not a usual step, it was made even more unusual when the electricity department cut down the connection of a defaulter who is also the ex Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, and one of the main figures of the opposition.
Yes, you heard that right. The culprit is none other than ex Chief Minister Mayawati, who once ruled UP like her fiefdom. Mayawati has now been forced to pay her outstanding dues, amounting to a whopping 1.68 crore rupees, in order to get her power supply running again.
Let us trace this story right from the start. Mayawati resides in a posh bungalow at Mall Avenue, and also has two guest houses which are managed by her Bahujan Samaj Party. One of them is situated at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg. Despite repeated instructions and pleas by the Lucknow Electricity Supply Association (LESA), Mayawati refused to pay the following outstanding dues, totaling to Rs. 1.68 crore rupees approximately:
Mall Avenue Home – Rs. 94.41 lakhs (approximately)
Guest Houses Dues – Rs. 45.69 lakhs and Rs. 27.99 lakhs respectively
These outstanding dues have accumulated over more than 7 years now, which simply means that in a complete misuse of power, Mayawati did not pay her electricity dues for more than 7 years! This also includes the entire tenure of Akhilesh Yadav, the ex CM of UP, who did not even bother to put pressure on his predecessor to pay her dues! But Yogi Adityanath would have none of it, and has made the lives of such politicians a living hell ever since day one.
After repeated requests and warnings, LESA cut off the power supply of her home and guest houses on 23rd March. The other departments, who had their connections cut off, had gotten their power supplies back after the assurance of payment to LESA, along with the required deposit. However, the adamant BSP supremo refused to pay, as a result of which the guest house remained without power for one full week.
Yes, a Chief Minister whom no one dared to even challenge, a Chief Minister who was once considered as the kingmaker in the Central Government, was now witnessing her own house and guest houses without electricity for the nonpayment of her outstanding dues. After more than a week, on 31st March, Mayawati finally relented, and paid LESA a cheque of Rs. 1.68 crore rupees, as drawn on the pending amount. As of now, Mayawati has refused to comment on the issue, probably still recovering from the unexpected action that was taken.
In a country where even the most minor movement in the political scenario becomes a matter of national discussion, such a step by Yogi Adityanath and his government will definitely not go unnoticed. Especially in the light of the recent Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha by-poll results, where BJP garnered a mixed bag, this decision not only cements the image of Yogi as a bold and powerful Chief Minister, but also serves a long overdue lesson to Mayawati: Never take power for granted.