http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Mere-symbolism-cant-empower/articleshow/10392775.cms
TIMES VIEW
Mere symbolism can't empower
Oct 18, 2011, 12.00AM IST
According to UP CM Mayawati, the newly inaugurated Rs 685-crore park
in Noida symbolises dalit empowerment. In other words, the memorials
on display are part of her counter-cultural project to compensate for
centuries of neg-lect and oppression suffered by her community. By her
logic, the statues of Ambedkar, Kanshi Ram and herself installed at
such sites are a necessary homage to champions of social justice. No
one else has honoured dalit icons, she said, so she is rectifying
matters. The question is, can Mayawati's strategy of monumentalising
her caste-based political brand be conflated with uplift of the
downtrodden?
The answer is no. Public good isn't served by promoting exclusivist
agendas linked to personality cults. It demands efficient service
delivery to citizens across the social board. Parties exploiting
identity politics invariably equate the good of this or that section
with their own political fortunes. True, Mayawati has tried to widen
her social base. But she seems yet to understand that people's
empowerment depends on inclusive development on the ground.
UP's record here isn't pretty. Health services are in a shambles, as
exposed by an encephalitis outbreak killing over 400, mostly children,
in poverty-wracked eastern UP. With the second highest slum child
population after Maharashtra, UP is an educationally backward state
where vast numbers face grinding poverty, be they dalits, Muslims or
upper caste Hindus. Moreover, the administration is widely perceived
to be corrupt.
Given all this, Mayawati can hardly justify blowing up jaw-dropping
sums on memorial-building sprees that are environmentally unfriendly
to boot. If she's serious about creating a positive legacy, she'd
focus on good governance the way Nitish Kumar does in Bihar. In an
aspirational nation, leaders will increasingly be judged by their
ability to improve lives by providing schools, hospitals, roads, power
and jobs. Symbolism alone won't cut it.
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