Statutes and statues: Mayawati gets Supreme Court nod for sprawling
memorial park
Dec 4, 2010 07:31 EST
Every powerful politician deliberates their legacy. For Mayawati, the
chief minister of Uttar Pradesh state and one of the country's most
recognizable politicians, hers will be set in stone.
Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of stone statues, to be precise.
Ridiculed by some quarters of the media for her seemingly exorbitant
narcissism, she was granted the right to continue construction of a
34-acre memorial park by the Supreme Court on Friday, after staring
down mounting criticism over the size of the so-called 'memorial'
budget from the coffers of one of India's poorest and least developed
states.
Dubbed the "Untouchable Queen" for her success in championing the
cause of Dalits, one of India's former backward castes, and turning
their support into numbers at the ballot box, Mayawati has ruled over
India's most populous state since sweeping to power in the 2007
elections.
Mayawati was summoned by the Supreme Court in June of last year after
her decision to spend a reported $425 million of state funds on
statues of Dalit heroes, including herself, was challenged.
In January, after reportedly shelling out 60 billion rupees ($1.3
billion) on statues and memorials throughout the impoverished state,
the chief minister tabled a state government motion to form a
1,000-officer strong statue protection force.
India's highest court, which is currently deliberating cases
pertaining to the liability of the Prime Minister in a $39 billion
telecoms scandal and the extent to which the country's privacy laws
can be wielded by multi-billionaire industrialists, passed down its
verdict after over 12 months of consideration.
Environmental groups have expressed their distaste for the ruling as
nearby residents bemoan the "absolute waste of money".
Mayawati has reportedly said in response that the conventional wisdom
of erecting statues of leaders posthumously is outdated.
With Friday's judgement, it seems that unless voters lodge their
complaints at the ballot box, Mayawati's legacy drive will likely
rumble on.
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