It’s not everyone’s good luck to wear a garland of Rs 5 crores but then that is Mayawati, a living example of a politician who blatantly likes to promote herself.
If her statue spree left the state gasping for breath she returned back with renewed vigour in a rally, which may strain the state exchequer again. The very fact that this display of power or whatever it may be, comes at a time when one of the districts of the state, Bareilly has been facing immense hardship in the name of communal violence, speaks a lot about the leader’s concern for the people of the state.
What is intriguing is that we have somewhat accepted Mayawati’s overt expression of power. Her activities now hardly surprise us though if this happened in another state it would be difficult to state what our reactions would be. If everyone is still thinking from where the money poured in, BSP party’s representatives have already clarified it was paid by the party.
That’s a statement in itself considering the fact that few days back BSP has expressed its inability to provide compensation to the victims of the temple stampede at Pratapgarh. We don’t know who to believe as the UP chief minister herself thanked everyone for the contributions and money at the rally.
It’s another thing that people who were attending her rally may not be in the best position to donate money for her pompous show as they find it hard to arrange two meals in a day for themselves.
Now when the Income Tax department was instructed to look into the source of the funds used to make a garland of Rs 5 crores, BSP promptly called an emergency meeting. Explanations are already coming up that the funds were raised by the party workers in Lucknow through donations.
Interestingly, the party wants everyone to believe that money for the arrangements like 10000 police personnel, lodging facilities for 30000 BSP workers, 30-bed hospital came through donations. Then we are talking of huge money, which comes as donations.
In the same state a district was facing communal disturbance since March 2, curfew has been imposed but nothing much has been done for the same by the state government. Was the government too busy in preparing for the 25th anniversary of BSP that it didn’t have time to look into the happenings? Nobody cared to find out how a minor tiff took the form of a violent clash where not only properties were damaged, people were shaken with fear as they were experiencing this for the first time.
How much we have heard from the CM about this incident? Words from the political representative in times of crisis matter a lot to the people. Sadly this aspect has been ignored. In fact the incident itself did not get much importance and was buried in oblivion for long.
At the same time we cannot ignore the fact that it’s the people who are electing Mayawati to power. So if something somewhere is amiss, what exactly is that? A leader, whose main agenda is uplifting the downtrodden of the society, the fact which she uses as a mass appeal, herself indulges in power and money show.
Isn’t this the same aspect which she loves to criticize? Will the Dalits feel elated with the 5 crores garland she wore or the blue lights which draped Lucknow that day? What matters for them is a decent and peaceful life not much and not less than that.
They cannot rejoice over the fact that their CM will henceforth be greeted only with garland of notes not flowers. It’s an irony where people amidst harsh struggle have to be witness to the cruel drama of money.
Earning some money for them seems impossible, wasting all for some seems so easy. It seems Uttar Pradesh has silently shifted in the background and now what is prominent is Mayawati’s show, which continues without any obstacle.
Courtesy: Headlinesindia