Opposition created ruckus over the claim of 30 crores in 45 days, Akhilesh said- Sailor Pintu Mahara’s income should be investigated

There was a discussion in the UP assembly about the earnings of boatman Pintu Mahara of Rs 30 crore during the Maha Kumbh. Now the opposition, including the Samajwadi Party (SP), has demanded an investigation into the claims and also alleged that Pintu has a criminal history. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has posted about this on the social media platform X.

Akhilesh has said in his post, “The truth of this news should be investigated. If a family has really earned 30 crores in the Maha Kumbh alone, then tell how much GST was received. First find out ‘Paatal Khoji’ and then glorify it.” The former Chief Minister said, “First signed an ‘MOU’ with a thug, now praised the name of the accused in the House with closed eyes. Now open your eyes. Due to all these reasons, the morale of criminals is high in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.” Akhilesh also shared a news in which it was alleged that Mahara has a criminal history. Congress chief Ajay Rai also raised the question that how can a family amass so much wealth by ferrying devotees during the 45-day Maha Kumbh. Congress national spokesperson Supriya Shrinet has also said, Yogi ji, sack your information advisors. Just think, why did you make a notorious criminal get praised so much in the House?

Speaking to the media, Rai said, ‘You may forget the criminal record, but the question should be asked whether GST and other taxes were paid on the income that the Chief Minister had disclosed in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly? Apart from this, if the details of income given in the Assembly are correct, then does it not show that the devotees were cheated, because so much profit could not have been earned at the rate fixed by the government.’

After this, Rai posted on ‘X’, ‘The history sheet of the boatman whom Yogi Adityanath praised in the House has come before the country. But, in that story, the Chief Minister told the truth of black marketing with his own figures.’

He said, ‘According to the Chief Minister, one boat was making a net saving of about 50-52 thousand rupees in a day and 130 boats together were making a net saving of about 66-68 lakh rupees. The point to be noted in this entire matter is that the maximum fare per person on the boat was fixed by the Mela Authority at Rs 120-150.

The Congress leader said, ‘In such a situation, how many rounds a boat took in a day was saving up to 50-52 thousand, how many rounds did all the 130 boats together take to save 66-68 lakhs?

He said, ‘It clearly means that the devotees have been arbitrarily looted and no government norms have been followed. However, the boatman whom the Chief Minister has mentioned says that the devotees were giving him money as a gift. But, how true is this? Everyone knows this. Because, the truth of the public is not hidden from the public.’

Meanwhile, Vaibhav Singh, in-charge of Naini police station in Prayagraj, confirmed that Pintu Mahara indeed has a criminal record. He said, ‘Pintu Mahara has a criminal record in Naini police station and he was released from jail in a case two years ago.’ Police sources said that Mahara’s family has been involved in illegal activities like extortion, ransom, extortion and making illicit liquor from boatmen for years. Many members of the family reportedly have a criminal record.

The Uttar Pradesh government had claimed in a statement issued on Wednesday that a boatman family from Prayagraj earned Rs 30 crore in 45 days of Maha Kumbh.