UP Minister targets Akhilesh Yadav, alleges large-scale corruption in Agra-Lucknow Expressway project

New Delhi, June 27 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar on Saturday launched a sharp attack on SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, alleging large-scale corruption in the construction of the Lucknow-Agra Expressway during the previous Samajwadi Party government.

In a post on X, Rajbhar alleged that the expressway became a symbol of corruption and mismanagement. He said, “If one wants to see some examples of the corruption that took place during Shri @yadavakhilesh ji’s government, the biggest example is the Lucknow-Agra Expressway.”

He further claimed that alleged corruption during the project had serious consequences for safety and public welfare. Rajbhar posted, “The greed to make money through corruption twisted and turned this expressway up and down so much that it has become notorious as the ‘Accident Expressway,’ and many people even call it the ‘Expressway of Death’.”

The minister alleged that poor construction standards were followed in the project, adding, “In the haste to make quick money, the expressway was built ignoring all standards. Who knows how many lives have been lost so far. How many families have been shattered. It’s hard to count.”

He also alleged irregularities in land acquisition and alignment of the project. Rajbhar stated, “Who doesn’t know that during Akhilesh Yadav’s rule, the Saifai family and their close associates colluded to loot public money in the construction of the Agra-Lucknow Expressway? From Firozabad to Etawah, the tales of plunder are overflowing.”

Further elaborating on his allegations, he wrote, “Land was bought at throwaway prices. Then the expressway route was passed nearby. The route was bent. Records were altered to label the lands as residential. Many registrations happened after the expressway was announced. Then massive looting took place in the compensation. When the expressway route came through, the value of lands owned by the Saifai family and their favorites skyrocketed.”

He also claimed changes in the expressway design, stating, “It’s hard to find examples where an expressway was bent all the way to someone’s doorstep for personal gain. Because of this, the length of the expressway increased from 270 km to more than 300 kilometers.”

Highlighting alleged ongoing costs to commuters, Rajbhar said, “Even today, every person passing through the Agra-Lucknow Expressway has to pay its price. Due to the extra delay and distance, there’s loss of money, fuel, and time—all three.”

He further escalated his attack, stating, “The pus of corruption keeps oozing out even now. The Saifai family will surely face punishment for this. They will go to jail via this very expressway.”

Concluding his post, he added, “Om Prakash Rajbhar is sitting with the dossier of the Saifai family’s sins.”

The remarks come amid continued political sparring in Uttar Pradesh over infrastructure projects undertaken by previous and current state governments, with leaders frequently accusing each other of corruption and irregularities in major public works.

–IANS

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