‘The Money Spent On The Statues Is Miniscule’

Mayawati’s right-hand man, SC Mishra tells SRAWAN SHUKLA why spending Rs 1,000 crore on statues of his boss is justified

Photo : Shailendra Pandey

The Mayawati government is accused of splurging public money on installing her own statues.
There is not an iota of truth in accusations from the Congress. They should look into their own history. Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones at others. The Congress has spent crores on installing statues of Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi all over the country. There is not a single tehsil in the country where something is not named or erected after these leaders. The BJP has also installed statues and made parks in the name of Pt Deen Dayal Updhyaya. How can they single out the BSP for installing statues of its leaders? The BSP has every right to pay respect to its iconic leaders. Moreover, Mayawatiji’s statues were installed as per the wish of Manyawar Kanshi Ramji.

What about statues of elephants, BSP’s political symbol?
Elephants are revered as a sign of welcome all over the country as per Indian traditions. The same can be seen at Rashtrapati Bhawan and Raj Bhawan. The elephants were installed as ‘welcome mudra’, not as BSP symbols.

How does the ideology of the BSP, which is a party of poor dalits, gel with memorials, statues and monuments?
Memorials and monuments pay respect to those who have made a significant contribution to our society and the nation. Can the Congress belittle contributions made by Dr Ambedkar, who drafted the Indian Constitution? Both Kanshi Ramji and Mayawatiji fulfilled the dream of Dr Ambedkar by working for dalits. The BSP ideology is to take this dream forward and march to the Centre to get them their due and make them feel equal citizens.

Wouldn’t it have been better to spend this money on the welfare of your people and the dalits you want to help?
It is a matter of perception. People are prejudiced against our government. No one talks of the development schemes launched by our government in Uttar Pradesh. We have earmarked Rs 19,000 crore for education, Rs 11,064 crore for agriculture and Rs 6,503 crore for medical and health services. The amount spent on the construction of the statues is a miniscule part of the budgetary provisions made for overall development of the state.

The Supreme Court seemed unimpressed by your arguments during the hearing of the PIL.
I should not and will not make any comments on whether my arguments were well taken during the hearing of the PIL, which is politically-motivated. Why are people not raising objections to prime landmarks like Delhi’s Teen Murti Bhawan, which has Congress statues? And why is the Mumbai Sea Link named after Rajiv Gandhi? After hearing the arguments, the Supreme Court has not yet admitted the writ petition, and has only issued a notice to show cause to decide whether to admit the writ petition or not.

What is your reply to the notices issued by the SC?
We are drafting a thorough reply and I am confident that the Supreme Court will be satisfied with our answers. I can’t divulge anything further at this stage.

The Mayawati government talks of Sarva Samaj but there are no statues of any leaders of any other castes?
Not one but several new schemes for the benefit of upper caste have been launched, which none of the previous governments had even thought of. She is not only speaking of Sarva Samaj, she is also actually working towards it.