News Desk: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's proposal for car gifts to the MLAs raised everyone's eyebrows today. The opposition slammed him when he said that the legislators can buy cars from Constituency Development Funds.

Akhilesh said all 403 MLAs in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly can use up to Rs 20 lakh out of the Rs 5 crore, which is allotted during a five-year tenure, to buy personal vehicles.


The decision sounds too odd to the political analysts as well as the members of the opposition parties. If all the MLAs buy a vehicle worth Rs 20 lakh, the state will bear the cost more than Rs 80 crore.


Akhilesh came under attack by the opposition parties when he said that the SP government offers MLAs to purchase four-wheelers worth up to Rs 20 lakh from their local area development fund.


"Despite a financial crisis, the SP government has fulfilled all the promises it made in the party manifesto in the budget. We entitle MLAs to purchase vehicles up to Rs 20 lakh from their local area development fund", he announced in the state Assembly.


He said that value of the vehicle will be depreciated per year and after the end of five years the MLAs could deposit the depreciated amount and hand over their vehicle.


The youngest CM thinks the offer will help the MLAs, who poses no cars or do not have money to buy vehicle. However, the government will not provide money for the maintainace of their vehicles.


The offer was rejected by the BJP, BSP and Congress. The opposition said the offer will send a wrong message to the electorate as the funds are meant for rural area development, not for the MLAs.


BJP leader Hukum Singh made it clear that the party will not purchase vehicles from the development fund, which is meant for people. BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya also said that the opposition would not utilise their development funds for personal vehicles.


Congress also hit out at the decision today. Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said that the CM should increase the MLA area development fund, which was announced by SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav in the House in 2007.

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