BJP charges Akhilesh Yadav of 'usurping' Bundelkhand fund credit

The party said that drought relief material which the state government was distributing in Bundelkhand was of the NDRF

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday accused Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav of trying to "usurp the credit of good governance" of the Narendra Modi government.

State spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said the drought relief material which the state government was distributing in Bundelkhand was of the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF).

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Around 75% share of the relief fund was of the union government and 25% of the state, Pathak said.

"Is it prudent that in such a scenario pictures of Akhilesh Yadav are stamped on the bag and of Prime Minister Narendra Modi missing," the BJP spokesman said, alleging that Akhilesh was trying to take credit of the work initiated by the central government.

However, a state government spokesman said the funds coming from the NDRF were only for a period of three months and the state government had taken a suo motto initiative to distribute the relief material in drought-hit region round the year.

"Before accusing the state government of any wrong doing and trying to come across as extra-caring about Bundelkhand, the BJP needs to explain why our Rs.7,000 crore Bundelkhand package demand has not been met by the NDA government," a senior official said.

He also said that the state government was doing "some serious and compassionate work" at the instructions of the chief minister.