Big B surrenders his agriculture land in UP

Lucknow, July 19: Trying to shut all controversies, Bollywood's Mega Superstar Amitabh Bachchan is said to have surrendered all his agricultural land in Barabanki district, adjoining the state capital to the government for constructing a school. According to sources, Bachchan has written a letter through the Sarpanch of Daulatpur, where the agricultural land of three plots measuring 4.5 bigha, to the UP Chief Minister Mayawati about his decision to surrender the land to the government for setting up a school.

''Big B is also stated that he will provide financial assistance for setting up the proposed school there'', sources added.

Munnu Singh, husband of the woman Sarpanch of Daulatpur village told sources that his wife has sent Big B's letter to the government about the proposal.

Meanwhile, Barabanki district authorities have yet to confirm about the move of Big B.

Earlier Allahabad High Court, Lucknow Division has stayed the proceedings against Mr Bachachan on the decision of the Faizabad divisional commissioner's court on the illegal procedure followed to hand over a gram sabha land to the Bollywood star. The court is slated to hear the case on July 23 next.

However, petitioner Amir Haider who had filed a case against Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha member Jaya Bachchan, wife of Big B, for concealing the details about the land in her affadavit during the RS polls, told UNI here today that there is no dispute on two pieces of land purchased by the Mega star, and that he can donate it to anyone he feels right.

''I have filed the petition against Jaya only for concealing the facts in his RS nomination affadavit'', Mr Haider said.

He said there is no question of surrendering the third plot as it had been acquired illegally, as Gram Samaj land could not be transferred to any other name.

The Election Commission (EC), is already probing into the petition filed against Ms Bachchan for concealing facts about immovable property in her affidavit which was filed along with the nomination papers for the RS polls in 2006.

In her reply, the SP MP had stated that the mentioned property was on purchase process when she had filed the affadavit for the RS poll and it was not registered in the Tehsildar's note book.

In 2005, Jaya was disqualified by the EC for holding an office of profit as chairperson of the 'UP Film Development Corporation.' She was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha in a bypoll held in June 2006, after the post was removed from the office of profit category.

However, petitions were also filed in the Commissioner Court at Faizabad and in the Allahabad High Court over the illegal transfer of government lands to Amitabh Bachchan and his family members in Barabanki.

A Congress leader, Mr Haider, an advocate in neighbouring Barabanki district, had filed a petition with the EC on October 19, 2006 stating that Jaya had concealed facts about two properties in the name of her husband Amitabh Bachchan, which were purchased just a fortnight before filing the affidavit for the RS by-poll.

Mr Haider claimed that Jaya had not disclosed those two pieces of land, which were purchased in May, 2006, which tantamount to concealing facts and is, therefore, punishable under the RP Act.

The affidavit of Jaya filed on June 1, 2006 shows only one piece of land of 0.25 hectare in Big B's name. However, it did not mention other two pieces of land measuring 1.3 hectare and 1.5 hectare, which were also purchased in the name of Mr Bachchan at Daulatpur village of Fatehpur tehsil, Barabanki.

The land mentioned in the affidavit also entered into a controversy with a petition in the High Court claiming it was a Gram Samaj (village council) land meant to be distributed among the poor and landless farmers of Dalit community.

UNI