LUCKNOW, June 11 -- The Uttar Pradesh Vigilance Establishment on Wednesday arrested former Payagpur (Bahraich) MLA Mukesh Srivastava, also known as Gyanendra Pratap Srivastava, in an alleged disproportionate assets (DA) case. The former legislator termed the action unjustified and said the public would give an appropriate reply in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. According to the Vigilance Establishment, Srivastava was arrested in connection with a case registered in 2023 under Sections 13(1)(b) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The agency alleged that during his tenure as an MLA from March 2012 to March 2017, he accumulated assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. The Vigilance Establishment also said that three other criminal cases related to alleged irregularities in National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) works in Shravasti, Balrampur and Gonda districts are pending against Srivastava and others. Reacting to the arrest, Srivastava questioned the basis of the action and claimed that only one individual had been making complaints against him. "If even one member of the public comes forward with a complaint against me, then question me," he said, alleging that the action was driven by a single complainant rather than public grievances. The former MLA further said that the people of the state would deliver an appropriate response to such actions in the 2027 UP Assembly elections. The Vigilance Establishment, however, maintained that the arrest followed an investigation into allegations of disproportionate assets and that legal proceedings in the case are continuing.HTC...