Law only on paper: Just 3 MLAs in UP declare property details

NEW DELHI: It turned out that only three of the 403 MLAs in Uttar Pradesh have filed their assets and property details in the financial year as part of the government’s mandate. The MLAs’ declarations made public on the state government’s gazette on Wednesday showed several blank columns. MLAs were asked to declaredetailsof theirmovable and immovable assets and liabilities by March 31, but only three of them -- Laxmikant Bajpai of BJP, Rita Bahuguna Joshi of Congress and Manbodh Prasad of the BSP -- have done so.

Ironiocally, none of the Samajwadi Party (SP) MLAs have declared their assets, a point that the BJP was quick to pounce on. Bajpai, BJP UP state unit president, said it was a shame that the state’s Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav himself had not submitted his details.

“He came to power because people wanted to get rid of a corrupt BSP government.

But none of the SP MLAs have declared their assets which shows they are not serious about corruption,” Bjapai said. However, in 2012, Yadav was the first SP member to put up his assets on the government website, claiming that it was the first step towards transparency in governance.

Experts said the Uttar Pradesh Ministers and Legislators (Publication of Assets & Liabilities) Act (1975) made it mandatory for each and every member of the state assembly to submit details or their assets and liabilities within the first 20 days of the new financial year. While the rule always existed, it was taken more seriously after the anticorruption movement gathered momentum last year, said sources.

Last year, the BJP had asked all its state office bearers to declare their assets with the state party president and MLAs to submit details of their assets in the office of UP Legislative Assembly Speaker. After some state office bearers raised objections that the MLAs, who receive huge development funds from the government, Bajpai had issued directives to all the office bearers of the state team and MLAs to make their assets public.

However, only the BJP president in the party has done so.