No money for parks, memorials this fiscal: Maya
Express News Service Posted online: Saturday , Jan 30, 2010 at 0504 hrs
Lucknow : Facing all-round criticism over the use of public money on
the construction of memorials, parks and statues of Dalit icons, UP
Chief Minister Mayawati on Friday said there would be no financial
allocation for the parks and memorials in the budget of the next
financial year 2010-11, which will be presented in the Assembly on
February 4.
Replying to the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor for his
address, Mayawati refuted the charges of the Opposition that the
entire budget was spent on the construction of memorials. "Only one
per cent of the total budget of 2009-10 was spent on the parks and
memorials and in the 2010-11 budget, there will be no allocation for
parks and memorials," she said.
The chief minister said that the criticism of the government over the
construction of parks, statues and memorials betrayed the casteist
mindset of the Opposition parties. "We would not have to take up the
construction of memorials to great leaders and saints of SCs and OBCs
had the previous regimes taken care of it," Mayawati said.
She said the Congress had constructed memorials after Nehru and Gandhi
all over the country. Two huge bungalows in Delhi, Teen Murti and 1
Safdarjung Road, had been converted into memorials. Other parties like
the BJP and SP had also constructed parks, statues and memorials in
the name of their leaders, and these projects were funded from the
state exchequer.
Millions were being spent every year on the upkeep and security of
these memorials "but when we do the same thing, it is criticised as
the misuse of public money and exploitation of the people".
Taking a dig at the Leader of the Opposition Shivpal Singh Yadav, the
CM said, "The Leader of Opposition disappointed the house by his
hour-long speech on Thursday as it was vague, directionless, and
carried no argument, yet I will try to reply as far as I could
understand it."
Blaming the Centre, and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar in
particular, for food inflation, the CM said political parties should
launch an agitation against the Centre on this issue, and the state
government would extend them all help.
Accusing the Centre of discrimination against UP in the release of
funds for centrally sponsored schemes, Mayawati said, "Against the
total allotment of Rs 27,258 crore in the central budget for centrally
sponsored schemes in UP, only 55 per cent has been released till the
end of December."
The chief minister said the Centre had not released a penny against
the proposals of Rs 9,226 crore for the electrification of villages in
65 districts under the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Yojna.
Similarly, the Centre has not released funds for rural roads against
proposals worth Rs 5,962 crore submitted by the state government.
Reiterating her stand for reorganisation of UP into three states of
East UP, West UP and Bundelkhand, she said: "As soon as the Centre
gives the nod for the division of UP, the state Assembly would adopt a
resolution and send this to the Centre."
Later, the Assembly approved the motion of thanks with voice vote.
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