Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mulayam Singh Yadav, who never tires of harping on his frugal needs as a "true samajwadi" (socialist), was fast switching over to another mould.
After his fad for Rolex watches and extravagant lifestyle, it was now his turn to crave for high-speed super luxury cars. And he makes it convenient to make a justification for such opulence - in the name of 'security'.
On Tuesday, he got his cabinet to approve purchase of eight bullet-proof Toyota Land Cruisers for his own fleet.
A sum of about Rs 4 crores was cleared for the purpose.
Each vehicle of Mulayam's choice will cost the state exchequer Rs 66 lakhs. The non bullet-proof version costs only about Rs 36