Tuesday, September 6, 2011

[ZESTCaste] India's Mayawati denies sending jet for sandals

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ioLbLBLbb-xzptx7wpEl6rI9Ju7g?docId=CNG.3e05623aa6e769decbc9e878d91ce0ab.71

India's Mayawati denies sending jet for sandals

(AFP) – 3 hours ago

NEW DELHI — The Indian politician accused in US cables of sending her
private jet to pick up a pair of sandals denied the claims Tuesday,
and said the man behind the disclosures should be put in a mental
asylum.

Mayawati, who only uses one name, is the populist leader of Uttar
Pradesh state, basing much of her support on India's marginalised
Dalit ("untouchable") community to which she belongs, and other poor,
low-caste groups.

US diplomatic papers released by the WikiLeaks website reported a
string of allegations about her lifestyle, including a claim that
"when she needed new sandals, her private jet flew empty to Mumbai to
retrieve her preferred brand".

Mayawati, 55, who rarely speaks to reporters, called a press
conference in the state capital Lucknow to condemn Australian-born
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for publishing the confidential US
embassy messages.

"Either he is mad or he is playing into the hands of our opposition," she said.

"He is doing such mischief deliberately. I request the government of
his country to put the owner of WikiLeaks into a mental asylum."

"The report is wrong, baseless and disgusting. It is aimed at
maligning my reputation and that of my honest party workers."

Mayawati also dismissed allegations that she had food tasters to guard
against being poisoned, saying "they would have to be cleaning
utensils in my kitchen to know such details".

The US cables dating from 2007 to 2009 said Mayawati celebrated her
birthday each year by receiving millions of dollars in gifts from
"sycophantic party members, civil servants and business people", while
officials vied to feed her cake.

They also described her as "a first-rate egomaniac" who was "obsessed
with becoming prime minister".

It added an account of Mayawati making a state minister do sit-ups as
punishment for a minor protocol error, and reported it cost $250,000
to run as her party's parliamentary candidate due to
"institutionalized corruption".

Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) performed below expectations in
the 2009 national elections, winning 21 seats in the 543-seat
parliament.

But the unmarried former schoolteacher, known as the "Dalit Queen" for
her loyal vote base, retains strong support among millions of
low-caste Indians across the north of the country.

Mayawati has often been criticised for extravagance, erecting huge
statues of herself in public parks and being greeted at rallies with
garlands made out of 1,000-rupee ($20) bank notes.


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[ZESTCaste] WikiLeaks founder Assange should be sent to mental asylum: Mayawati

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/WikiLeaks-founder-Assange-should-be-sent-to-mental-asylum-Mayawati/articleshow/9881921.cms

WikiLeaks founder Assange should be sent to mental asylum: Mayawati
Ashish Tripathi, TNN | Sep 6, 2011, 12.25PM IST

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati on Tuesday rubbished
the allegations made against her by the whistleblower website
WikiLeaks that she had sent a special jet to Mumbai to bring in her
favourite sandals.

Calling it a political conspiracy ahead of elections, the BSP chief
said WikiLeaks owner has either gone mad or supporting her opponents.

Mayawati said Assange needs to be admitted in a mental asylum. "And,
if there is no such asylum in his country, they can send him to UP and
I will make arrangements for his admission in the mental asylum in
Agra," she said.

Mayawati said that media reports based on the WikiLeaks about her
right hand man and party general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra and
cabinet secretary Sheshank Shekhar Singh were baseless and distorted
and were a part of a conspiracy to break the unity of the BSP and
defame her government.

Mayawati also condemned news channels and newspapers which had
published one-sided reports based on the WikiLeaks and without her
party's reaction. "The reports are totally baseless," she said.

"I will give more powerful posts and important work to Shashank
Shekhar Singh and Satish Chandra Mishra," said Mayawati. "The
opposition is conspiring to weaken and divide the BSP in the run up to
2012 assembly elections but I will not allow it to happen," she added.

The BSP chief also rubbished reports that she has special cooks and a
person to taste food. "Politicians, who are alleging that she has
several cooks and people to taste food, seem to have washed utensils
in my kitchen, that's why they know all these details," she said
sarcastically.

Mayawati took offence to the BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi's press
conference on Monday about the WikiLeaks assertion that she sends her
private jet to Mumbai to buy her preferred brand of sandals. "This is
baseless," she said and added sarcastically, "It seems that the BJP
leader was in that imaginary journey in the jet to Mumbai." She also
said that the Naqvi was not as happy after winning the Rajya Sabha
elections as he seemed on Monday at the press conference in which he
spoke against her.

Maya also said that some journalists and politicians levelling
allegations against her, the BSP leaders and her government had
anti-Dalit mindset.

US embassy cables from 2007 to 2009 released by the WikiLeaks website
in recent days described Mayawati, 55, as "a first-rate egomaniac" who
"is obsessed with becoming prime minister".

They said Mayawati celebrated her birthday each year by receiving
millions of dollars in gifts from "sycophantic party members, civil
servants and business people" while officials vie for a chance to feed
her cake.

"When she needed new sandals, her private jet flew empty to Mumbai to
retrieve her preferred brand," a cable dated October 23, 2008
reported, adding she employed food tasters to guard against poisoning.

The whistleblower website on Tuesday said that Mishra has told the US
that the CM has a "penchant for corruption".

However, the BSP general secretary rubbished these reports and called
it completely baseless. "Reports on WikiLeaks cables are absolutely
false. There is no truth in the controversy. I did not meet an US
dignitary in 2007. I will file a legal notice and pursue the case till
it comes to a logical end," Mishra said.

"This is a conspiracy as elections are around the corner," added
Mishra. According to a secret US embassy cable, the BSP general
secretary and Rajya Sabha MP also told US embassy officials that the
chief minister has a "strong authoritarian streak".

The cable added that Mishra is "fluent in English and serves as the
principal interlocutor between the US Embassy and the BSP. He has
graciously hosted Embassy officers at his house".

The cable added, "Mishra has been forthright and frank in his
discussions, even to the point of acknowledging Mayawati's penchant
for personal corruption and her strong authoritarian streak."

It says, "Mayawati has very weak English language skills and limited
exposure to non-Indians and may not be entirely comfortable
interacting with Americans. To date, she has preferred to use Mishra
in this role, although a future meeting, probably between Mayawati and
the Ambassador (with Mishra likely acting as translator) cannot be
ruled out."

This cable was dated May 29, 2007 - 16 days after Mayawati took oath
as chief minister on May 13, 2007.

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[ZESTCaste] WikiLeaks report baseless, says Cabinet Secy

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/WikiLeaks-report-baseless--says-Cabinet-Secy/842290/

WikiLeaks report baseless, says Cabinet Secy
Express News Service Posted online: Tue Sep 06 2011, 05:41 hrs
Lucknow : Uttar Pradesh cabinet secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh on
Monday described as "baseless and far from the facts" reports based on
US embassy cables, reproduced by WikiLeaks, and said he had not made
the statements attributed to him.

According to these cables, Singh had told US Charge d'Affaires Peter
Burleigh at the time of Lok Sabha elections in May 2009 that Chief
Minister Mayawati's opposition to the Indo-US nuclear deal was
"rhetoric'', and that there would be no change in India's foreign
policy if Mayawati became Prime Minister, although he did not think
she would become Prime Minister.

In a statement, Singh said Burleigh had requested for a meeting with
the chief minister. Since the chief minister was busy, she directed
the cabinet secretary to meet the US official and brief him about the
state government's plans and programmes.

During the meeting, Burleigh said Mayawati was being projected as the
Prime Minister of the third front and asked about her foreign policy.
The cabinet secretary told him the BSP was not part of any alliance
and was contesting all Lok Sabha seats on its own. When the US
official asked about BSP's foreign policy, the cabinet secretary said
he told him that the time was not right to comment on a sensitive
matter like foreign policy. Singh said that the chief minister had
already clarified her party's policy on the Indo-US nuclear deal at a
press conference. The cabinet secretary said he did not make any other
comment, said the statement.


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[ZESTCaste] Dalits demand use of Ambedkar Bhavan

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mangalore/Dalits-demand-use-of-Ambedkar-Bhavan/articleshow/9883634.cms

Dalits demand use of Ambedkar Bhavan
TNN | Sep 6, 2011, 03.22PM IST

MANGALORE: Dalits demanded that they be allowed to use Ambedkar
Bhavan, Uppinangady, as the Government First Grade College authorities
were claiming that the Bhavan land was college property.

Raising the issue at the monthly meeting convened by DK district
police with members of SC/ST community and office bearers of SC/ST
organizations on Sunday, former zilla panchayat president Somanath
said that the college was using a part of the Bhavan to conduct
classes. ''We don't have objection to their use, but we too should be
allowed to use it," said Somanath. He also claimed that Ambedkar
Bhavan was built by them in 1983-84, whereas the college was set up
after 2000. He said the college had spent Rs 3,500 for partitions,
saying that if the issue could not be resolved, the government should
give them an alternative land. He suggested that the vacant plot near
Uppinangady bus stand be given.

Superintendent of police Labhu Ram said the issue should be handled by
the department of Collegiate Education.

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