The woes of the Congress in Uttar Pradesh seem to be mounting by the day. After former Congress MP Annu Tandon quit the party and a district party chief was accused of sexual harassment by two women, it is now a party rebel MLA who has fired a salvo at the party.
Rebel MLA, Aditi Singh, has written to the Economic Offence Wing director general, demanding a probe into the alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Kamla Nehru Educational Society.
According to Aditi Singh, “I have written to the EOW to investigate the financial irregularities in the Kamla Nehru Educational Society. The society never served the purpose for which it was constituted and the land was never used to promote girls’ education as mentioned in the bylaws of the society. Also, the conversion of land into freehold is unlawful as there are around 150 shops which provide daily bread to 600 people.”
Taking a dig at Congress leaders and members of the society, she said, “People who question the transparency of the PM Cares Fund should also reveal what they have done through this society. I have written to the EOW, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s Office and the Home department to investigate the matter which involves financial irregularities worth hundreds of crores of rupees.”
She further said, “The trust was given land in the 1970s with a 30-year lease for educational purposes in Rae Bareli city. While it was not used for the purpose it was given, they (Congress leaders) are now trying to sell it. My fight is for both — against the fraudulent methods of the trust and also for over 100 families who have been living there for decades.”
Rae Bareli Congress chief Pankaj Tiwari said, “The matter is under litigation and the High Court had ordered to vacate the land, while we also want government to do something about the families, who have been living there for ages but we cannot say much as the party has got nothing to do with the trust.”
The Kamla Nehru Educational Society was set up in 1976 in the Civil Lines area of Rae Bareli at a yearly rent of Rs 1,135 from one Kailash Chandra hailing from Sidhauli. The society took the land on lease for 30 years for promoting education for girls. However, no construction activity has taken place on the land till date.
Eight members of the society have died till now, including former New Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit’s father-in-law Uma Shankar Dikshit, former prime minister Indira Gandhi’s personal assistant Yashpal Kapoor, and former minister Sheila Kaul.
In 2003, a new committee was constituted which included members of the Kaul family along with former Union minister Salman Khurshid and senior lawyer Lalit Bhasin.
The Kamla Nehru Educational Society converted the land into a freehold property in 2003 and decided to sell it in 2016. As per a rough estimate, there are around 150 shops which are the source of income for approximately 600 people.