LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today sacked Small-Scale Industry minister Chadradeo Ram Yadav who was indicted by the state Lokayukta.
"In consultations with the CM, Governor B L Joshi has relieved the minister from his post with immediate effect," a notification issued by the state government said.
In his report submitted to the government on December 28 last year, the Lokayukta had indicted the minister for drawing salary from two places and had recommended his removal from the Cabinet.
Yadav is the sixth minister to be dismissed on the basis of Lokayukta's reports.
Earlier, Rajesh Tripathi, Awadhpal Singh, Badshah Singh, Rangnath Mishra and Ratan Lal Ahirwar were removed following their indictment by the ombudsman.
Social Welfare minister Indrajeet Saroj had been given additional charge of the Small-Scale Industry, said the notification.
In its report, Lokayukta Justice N K Mehrotra had said Yadav was associated with two schools -- one under the Primary Education Department and the ther under the Social Welfare Department.
During an inquiry, he was found to be drawing salary of the headmaster of a government-aided school along with that of a minister since 2007.
The Lokayukta had recommended that the salaries drawn as headmaster should be recovered with interest from him.
A probe by a competent agency into disproportionate assets of the minister was also recommended.
The opposition flayed the CM's move terming it as an eyewash.
"He should have been removed immediately after the Lokayukta report was received by the Chief Minister," BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said.
He said the action when the electoral process was underway was an eyewash.