The entrance to one of the bungalows allotted to BSP chief Mayawati
Months ahead of the national election due by May, the Congress government has raised eyebrows by allowing BSP leader Mayawati to merge three sprawling bungalows allotted to her in the heart of Delhi and turn them into one large 'super-bungalow'.
The Uttar Pradesh politician is believed to have started work on a new mansion merging the three plots in the Lutyen's bungalow zone, the most high security address in the country that houses top ministers and officials.
The construction under way on the 'super-bungalow' has been labelled illegal by the government's own Central Public Works Department. The merged property covers an area six times bigger than the main chamber of the Lok Sabha in Parliament House, which seats over 500 MPs.
These bungalows are among the largest government quarters in Delhi, each featuring eight bedrooms, four servant quarters and front and back lawns.
The government's reply to an RTI or Right to Information query confirms that Mayawati had been allowed to merge bungalows numbered 12, 14 and 16 on Gurudwara Rakabganj Road, where she already has a fourth bungalow. The merged unit is in the name of the "Bahujan Prerna Trust" dedicated to BSP icon and Mayawati's mentor Kanshi Ram.
"I complained how Mayawati can have four buildings in her name. The answer was alarming. One bungalow was in her name; the other three were amalgamated," said RTI activist Subhash Aggarwal, adding that the Supreme Court should step in.
Mayawati is an important player in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state and a key factor in deciding the next government in Delhi with its 80 Lok Sabha seats. The government has earlier been accused of misusing the CBI to manipulate cases involving the BSP chief.
The former Chief Minister won only 21 seats in the 2009 Lok Sabha election, but the Congress is counting on her to improve its prospects next year, with Mulayam Singh Yadav, the leader of UP's ruling Samajwadi Party, proving to be a capricious ally.