Latest News Update: Jan 9, 2012

Monday, January 9, 2012

[ZESTCaste] Wheelchair and sewing machine details and photos (Dec 2, 2011 function)

Dear Donors and friends,

As you know, on Dec 2, 2011, FFEI gifted a wheel chair and a sewing machine to a brother (handicapped) and his sister (who discontinued her education to take care of him) from a poor Dalit family. I am herewith sending you a link to the photos of that event. It also has the receipts for both the items as submitted by our coordinators.

Ms Ajaya and Mr Michael Jonas, California donated Rs. 10,000 towards the wheel chair. Actaul cost was Rs.10,000.

Mr Raj Cherukonda, Illinois donated Rs. 7,000 in memory of his father late Mr Venkanna towards the sewing machine. Its price was Rs.4,500.

Some time back I erroneously reported that the sewing machine cost was Rs. 10,000. In fact the total cost of it was Rs.7,000 (including other required tailoring material such as a table to work and other tailoring related material). Error was mine and apologize for it.

Please visit the following link for photos.

https://picasaweb.google.com/100394451809818650784/20111202Function

My sincere thanks to Mrs and Mr Jonas (for Wheelchair) and Mr Raj (for Sewing machine). They brightened two lives with their timely intervention. This poor family can never forget their kind gesture.

Please write to me if any questions.

With much regards

Ben

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An educated man without character and humility was more dangerous than a beast. If his education was detrimental to the welfare of poor, he was a curse to society.

-Babasaheb Dr B R Ambedkar

Please visit www.friendsforeducation.org

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[ZESTCaste] Please Sign Petition to Install Dr .B.R. Ambedkar portraits in all Courts and all Police Stations in India

Please Sign Petition to Install Dr .B.R. Ambedkar portraits in all Courts and all Police Stations in India

Click here

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/dr-br-ambedkar-portraits/

Mr. Salman Khurshid

Minister of Law and Justice,

4th Floor, A-Wing, Shastri Bhawan,

New Delhi-110 001

Subject: Install Dr .B.R. Ambedkar portraits in Supreme Court, all Benches of High Courts, all Lower Courts and all Police Stations in India

Dear Sir

We the under signed request you to Install the portraits Dr .B.R. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar in Supreme Court, all Benches of High Courts and all Lower Courts in India.

Dr Ambedkar, popularly also known as Babasaheb, was one of the founding fathers of independent India. He was also the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of Indian Constitution.

The role played by Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar has left its imprint on the social tapestry of the country after Independence, and shaped the political and civic contours of India today. It would have been a different India without him and, in all probability, a much more inequitable and unjust one.

He was the first Law Minister in Independent India. As a law minister, Ambedkar formulated several important bills including the Hindu Code Bill. He was a key player in the constitutional developments of India from the mid-1920s and on certain issues such as a uniform Civil Code he was to anticipate some of the major issues that have been the topics for debate in India.

Dr.Ambedkar was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in 1990, such an important persons he is, and rarely we find his pictures in the Court and Police Station, which are the guardian of Indian Constitution.

Therefore we request you to direct the respective administrations to install portraits of Dr B.R Ambedkar in Supreme Court, all benches of High Courts Lower Courts, and all Police Stations of India. It would be appropriate to recognize his role in drafting the Indian constitution by displaying his portrait in Police Station and in Indian courts.

We the following would urge the Government of India to pass a Government Order to make sure Dr Ambedkar portraits are installed in Indian Courts and Police Stations.

Yours Sincerely

B.Karthik Navayan,

http://karthiknavayan.wordpress.com/
https://sites.google.com/site/karthiknavayan/

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[ZESTCaste] India holy men urge ban on low-caste food rolling

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-16464506

9 January 2012 Last updated at 10:45 GMT
India holy men urge ban on low-caste food rolling
By Habib Beary Bangalore

Believers contend that rolling in the leftovers will cure skin diseases
A group of holy men in India's Karnataka state are seeking to outlaw a
century-old ritual in which low-caste Hindus roll in the remains of
food eaten by members of a higher caste.
About 25 religious leaders threatened to take action if the government
did not ban the practice, known as made snana.
Hundreds of people performed the ritual at temples in Karnataka in December.
Followers believe rolling in the food will cure them of skin conditions.
The ceremony involves rolling on plantain leaves that contain the
leftovers of meals served to high-caste Brahmins.
The annual event is held at the Kukke Subramanya temple in the coastal
district of Mangalore and at the Sri Krishna temple in Udupi town.
Lower-caste Dalit organisations have called the ritual "inhuman" and
"unacceptable".
If it can cure diseases effectively, the state government should close
down all the medical colleges and hospitals"
Panditaradhya Shivacharya Swami Holy man
They say such customs are being used by upper-caste Hindus to
subjugate low castes.
"If it can cure diseases effectively, the state government should
close down all the medical colleges and hospitals," said Panditaradhya
Shivacharya Swami, drawing applause at a meeting of holy men in
Bangalore.
"This evil is not less than the tradition of Sati [the banned practice
of burning widows on the funeral pyres of their husbands] and child
marriage and the government must act tough," he said.
"This is to protect human dignity. [A ban] is to oppose obnoxious
values and to bring about a progressive change," said campaigner
Veerabhadra Channamalla Swami of Nidumamidi Mahasamsthana Mutt.
However, people at the temple in Kukke Subramanya have opposed any
move to ban the ritual.
In December, activist KS Shivaramu was beaten up by supporters of the
ritual for protesting against it. Proponents say the government has no
business to interfere in matters of faith.
The issue has also divided the state's Bharatiya Janata Party-led
government, with senior minister VS Acharya - a high-caste Brahmin -
defending the ritual, and Social Welfare Minister A Narayanaswamy, who
represents the Dalit community, supporting a ban.
Correspondents say although caste discrimination is illegal in India
biases remain in many areas.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit woman sarpanch emerges as poster girl for gender issues

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article2775991.ece

JAIPUR, January 5, 2012
Dalit woman sarpanch emerges as poster girl for gender issues
Special Correspondent

Has addressed issues of sex selection, infant-maternal mortality, child health

A Dalit woman sarpanch elected to an unreserved seat in Bikaner
district of Rajasthan has successfully brought gender issues to the
mainstream development discourse with the help of a Jaipur-based
advocacy group. She has addressed the crucial subjects of sex
selection, infant and maternal mortality and reproductive and child
health by focusing on gender fostering.

Tara Devi, elected as Sarpanch of Samerdha Nosera village panchayat of
Khajuwala block in Bikaner district in February 2010, is now a
household name in the region thanks to her dedication to the cause of
protecting the girl child. She has also provided inspiration to the
marginalised Dalit communities.

Situated 113 km away from Bikaner, Samerdha Nosera is among 20 village
panchayats in the district included by Sangam Matri Mission Sansthan
in a project for "Strengthening Gender Response of Panchayats in
Rajasthan" (SGRPR). The Society for Participatory Research in Asia
(PRIA) has initiated the ambitious project in several districts of the
State.

The gender-specific data collected under the SGRPR show that the major
reasons for decline in child sex ratio are inadequate health
facilities and negligence towards the female newborn. A survey in
Samerdha Nosera revealed a ratio of 57:35 between home and
institutional deliveries, indicating that women did not find the
latter attractive.

The remote village does not have easy connectivity with the urban
surroundings, while the lack of basic amenities earlier made the
conditions worse in the region. PRIA State coordinator Krishan Tyagi
said here that the advocacy group approached the village panchayat and
the village health and sanitation committee (VHSC) to improve the
situation and organised orientation and capacity building meetings for
the panchayat members.

During the orientation meetings, Tara Devi emerged as a leader
bringing about positive changes in her village during the past ten
years when she was elected Sarpanch twice. By joining the SGRPR, she
has got the crucial handholding support for her work.

Mr. Tyagi said the Sarpanch has successfully utilised her knowledge by
promoting and fostering Gram Sabha on gender issues. She has also
received support from the women's community-based organisations of the
region and is mobilising the villagers with the support of these
groups to participate in the Gram Sabha meetings.

Tara Devi's sustained efforts made an impact on the local community
and facilitated the process to incorporate gender issues into the
agenda of deliberations for planning. She also started regular
inspections of the local health sub-centre — earlier devoid of proper
infrastructure and medicines — and constructed its new building by
involving the VHSC members.

In another significant step, Tara Devi improved the conditions at the
anganwadi centre and made arrangements for water and power supply. Mr.
Tyagi said the Sarpanch visits the centre regularly and checks the
quality of food served to children. She has also taken steps to
enhance the standard of girls' education in the village and improve
arrangements for drinking water.

Tara Devi is also very active in organising VHSC meetings for
development of the annual health plan and utilised the untied grant of
Rs.10,000. She is working for betterment of Dalit and Muslim
communities and constantly tackling new challenges.

Depicting her concern over immunisation and health check-ups of
pregnant women, Tara Devi makes arrangements for delivery of women at
the community health centre and has organised several blood donation
camps. She has invested Rs.47.15 lakh in Indira Awas Yojana and spent
Rs.3.85 crore on construction works in the village.

As a result of Tara Devi's efforts, the child sex ratio has
significantly improved in Samerdha Nosera with a recent survey
revealing the figures of 1,014 females against 982 males. The
instances of maternal and infant mortality have come to an end and
there is no case of girl child dropout from schools.

Mr. Tyagi affirmed that the emphasis of SGRPR on encouraging women
Panchayati Raj representatives had led to the emergence of a popular
leader like Tara Devi. "We need to trust the abilities of women
belonging to marginalised communities and give them a little support
and opportunity," he said, adding that a big difference could be made
in this manner to rural development.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit entrepreneurs plan DICCI State unit

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/economy/article2785637.ece?ref=wl_industry-and-economy

Dalit entrepreneurs plan DICCI State unit
Our Bureau

Hyderabad, Jan. 8:

Dalit entrepreneurs in Andhra Pradesh are all set to start State
Chapter of Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI).

Mr Damodar Rajanarasimha, Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and
a dalit leader himself, will formally launch the chapter on January 10
here. DICCI's founder-Chairman, Mr Milind Kamble, will take part in
the inauguration.The first general body of State chapter will meet
that day.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Mr Ravi Kumar Narra,
convener of the Andhra Pradesh chapter, said dalit entrepreneurs were
facing problems from banks in getting credit. Despite a Central
Government stipulation, new dalit entrepreneurs were being asked to
show collateral to get loans.

The six-year-old DICCI has chapters in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Delhi,
Chennai, Bangalore and Chhattisgarh.

kurmanath@thehindu.co.in

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[ZESTCaste] Wait gets longer for Maya’s dream park

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/UttarPradesh/Wait-gets-longer-for-Maya-s-dream-park/Article1-793320.aspx

Wait gets longer for Maya's dream park
Darpan Singh, Hindustan Times
Noida, January 08, 2012

Despite an expenditure of R685 crore, the dream of the Mayawati
administration to open the grand Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal and
Green Garden in Noida for the general public and "woo Dalit voters in
Western Uttar Pradesh" during the assembly elections still remains
unfulfilled. Now that
the Election Commission has ordered that statutes of Mayawati and
those of elephants, the election symbol of her Bahujan Samaj Party
(BSP), be covered, the park would remain closed till the elections are
over.

The chief minister had inaugurated the memorial in October last year,
but it could not be opened for the public because some facilities were
yet to be put in place. The administration has planned a ticket-based
entry for visitors.

Similar parks and memorials had been constructed in Lucknow but the
one in Noida was meant for people living in western UP and areas
bordering Delhi. The monument is dedicated to Dalit icons, and has
been constructed "to honour their unparalleled struggle for social
transformation".

The construction began in 2008. A group of residents moved court,
objecting to a large number of trees being cut. The park's proximity
to the Okhla Bird Sanctuary became another legal objection.

But in December 2011, the Supreme Court, which had stopped the
construction because of environmental concerns, cleared the project
with certain riders. The government maintained 75% of the total area
as green.

The government planted 7,600 trees and 1.5 lakh shrubs of 75 varieties
in the park on the eastern banks of the Yamuna in Sector 95.

The memorial has the statues of 15 Dalit icons, including two of
Mayawati herself. There are 20 elephant statues. Besides, 16 elephants
each adorn the two fountains.

The two gates have four elephants each. Elephant statues adorn numerous pillars.

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[ZESTCaste] Scion of Gandhis takes on the Dalit Queen in battle for India's biggest state

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/scion-of-gandhis-takes-on-the-dalit-queen-in-battle-for-indias-biggest-state-6287015.html

Scion of Gandhis takes on the Dalit Queen in battle for India's biggest state

Rahul Gandhi hopes to oust Mayawati as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh
Andrew Buncombe
Gorakhpur

Monday 09 January 2012

Across Uttar Pradesh a fierce battle is under way for the domination
of India's largest and most politically important state.

The Congress Party – its campaign led by Rahul Gandhi, a man often
described as the nation's Prime Minster-in-waiting – is trying to
wrest control from the hands of Mayawati, the so-called "Dalit Queen",
who sits atop a huge vote bank made up of the poorest and most
oppressed. The contest ahead of next month's state election is heated,
vigorous and, at times, has seen moments of comedy.

In recent days, as Mr Gandhi has embarked on a five-day campaign tour
in the east of the state, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
has found itself at the centre of controversy after recruiting two
state politicians accused of corruption and subsequently sacked by Ms
Mayawati. Meanwhile, Ms Mayawati and her party, the symbol of which is
an elephant, have been ordered by the election commission to cover up
thousands of statues of herself she has erected throughout the state.

Whatever party gains control of the state government, headquartered in
the once-elegant city of Lucknow, the prize is considerable; with a
population of about 170 million, Uttar Pradesh returns 80 members to
the national assembly, more than any other state. Eight of the 12
individuals who have held the office of Prime Minister have hailed
from here and Uttar Pradesh exercises an unparalleled influence on
national politics.

Yet the state comes with heavy baggage: it is corrupt and
impoverished, riddled with crime and underdeveloped. Its indicators in
terms of income, life expectancy and nutrition are in some cases worse
than than sub-Saharan Africa. It was reported yesterday that at least
140 current members of the state assembly have criminal cases pending
against them.

As he took his campaign roadshow to the rural hinterland in the east,
where farmers grow rice and sugar cane, Mr Gandhi, 41, the son of
Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi and grandson of Indira Gandhi, took direct aim
at Ms Mayawati and her party. Delivering a well-polished speech, he
said the people of Uttar Pradesh had suffered for too long from
corruption and lack of development.

"In Lucknow there is a magic elephant," he said at a rally in a
village 40 miles from the town of Gorakhpur. "Usually an elephant eats
leaves and grass but the elephant of Lucknow flies in a helicopter and
eats the money of poor people. Mayawati has said this is a drama, but
I go to the houses of poor people. I eat their food, I take water from
the same well. Mayawati never visits."

The Congress Party faces a battle to stop Ms Mayawati from securing
the chief minister's office for the fifth time. Of the 403 assembly
seats, it holds just 22. The party has ruled out a pre-poll alliance
and, with little bluster, claims it will win by itself. Few believe
that.

"They face a mammoth task. Mayawati is the only candidate with a solid
vote bank," Ashwini Bhatnaggar, a journalist and commentator from
Lucknow, said. "All being equal, I think Mayawati will get a simple
majority."

Mr Gandhi, whose constituency is in the west of Uttar Pradesh, has
celebrity status, enough to lure crowds of the curious. Yet it is not
clear this will automatically translate into votes. "I like Rahul
Gandhi, I like the way he talks. But I have not yet decided who I will
vote for," said Arsan Ali, a fishmonger with nine children who
attended a rally in the village of Pipraich, where the politician
earned warm but not ecstatic applause.

Last night in Lucknow, where a huge amount of public money was spent
erecting statues of Ms Mayawati and her elephants, none seemed to have
been covered yet. But there were plenty of television cameras
recording that for now, the chief minister and her powerful symbols
remained very much on show.

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[ZESTCaste] KCR wooing Dalits to counter TDP

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/kcr-wooing-dalits-to-counter-tdp/219123-60-114.html

Andhra Pradesh | Posted on Jan 09, 2012 at 08:19am IST
KCR wooing Dalits to counter TDP
indianexpress Express News Service , The New Indian Express

HYDERABAD: Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief K Chandrasekhara Rao's
announcement on Sunday that he would launch a movement against
untouchability is being seen as an attempt to woo the Scheduled Castes
in the wake of a full-throttle effrontery by Telugu Desam legislator
Motkupalli Narasimhulu who belongs to the Madiga community.

Speaking at a joint meeting of TRS women's wing and Telangana Private
Employees' Federation at Telangana Bhavan here, Chandasekhara Rao, out
of the blue, raised the issue of SCs and felt sorry for their being
discriminated against. "It is inhuman to treat Dalits as untouchables
and the shameful practice should stop,'' he said.

According to analysts, Rao, when he said he would build a movement
against untouchability, was in fact trying to wean away Dalits and
thus deal a blow to Narasimhulu who has been using the most
uncharitable words against him while attacking him on the issue of
Telangana.

Rao, by taking up the Dalit cause, will also be making an attempt to
poach the support base of the Congress, which has considerable number
of Madiga leaders in Telangana districts. Said Rao: "Though it is more
60 years since we got Independence, this practice of untouchability is
continuing like a curse. We should see to it that this evil is
eradicated." He also spoke highly of women and the need for 50 per
cent reservation for them in legislative bodies. "We have written to
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and prime minister Manmohan Singh,
declaring our support for the women's reservation bill," he said.

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[ZESTCaste] BSP terms transfers of officials anti-dalit

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-01-08/lucknow/30604038_1_election-symbol-dalit-officers-s-y-quraishi

BSP terms transfers of officials anti-dalit
TNN Jan 8, 2012, 03.42AM IST

LUCKNOW: The Election Commission (EC) late on Saturday night directed
the UP government to remove director general ( DGP) of police Brij Lal
and principal secretary, home, Kunwar Fateh Bahadur Singh from their
posts.

BSP general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra said that "Dalits rarely
get good postings but Mayawati gave them their due". "With two dalit
officers in charge of security and law & order, Dalits in UP felt
safe. They could have come out to vote in elections without any fear
of feudal forces. Unfortunately, the EC decided to replace the two
dalit officers on the complaints of casteist forces (Opposition
parties) who do not like to see a 'Dalit Ki Beti' (Mayawati) as chief
minister," he said.

The announcement of EC's order to remove the two officers was made by
Satish Chandra Mishra and not the Commission officials. In fact, when
contacted, Chief Electoral Officer, UP, Umesh Sinha, said that he has
not received any official communique from the EC or the government
about the removal of the officers. "At times, the EC communicates its
decision directly to the state government," he said, while refusing to
comment further over the issue.

Even Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) S Y Quraishi made no mention of
transfers in his press conference in the evening. Quraishi, who was on
a two-day visit to Lucknow to review status of preparedness for the
elections, only said that he has received complaints from the
Opposition parties demanding removal of number of officers which they
claimed were bias. But three hours later, at a hurriedly called press
meet Mishra informed about EC's decision to transfer of officers.

The BSP also came down heavily on the EC for its order to drape chief
minister Mayawati's statue and those of elephants in various dalit
memorials in view of elections. The EC directed to cover the statutes
so that they cannot become a medium to influence voters as elephant is
BSP's election symbol and Mayawati is the president of BSP. Mishra
said that the decision was taken without giving BSP a chance to
present its defence, which was against the provision of natural
justice.Mishra also said that "though EC took a one-sided decision on
the complaints of casteist Opposition parties", BSP hopes that the
constitutional body will ensure free and fair elections in the state.

BSP national general secretary said that the BSP government will
follow the order of the EC to cover the statutes of the chief minister
and elephants but people of the state will give a befitting answer to
the casteist forces who have shown utter disregard to the dalit icons
by raising questions over their memorials.Mishra said that the trunk
of the elephants in statutes in the memorials are up, whereas in BSP's
election symbol it is down.

He said that elephants have been installed in all the temples in India
besides the Rashtrapati Bhawan and Parliament among other places.
"Will the EC cover all statutes in Lok Sabha elections? Will EC also
ban use of lotus flower, (BJP's election symbol), hand (Congress's
symbol) and cycle (SP's election symbol) will during elections," he
argued.

Opposition parties welcomed the decision of the EC but said that it is
not complete. "We had asked for transfer of all the officers in the
chief minister's secretariat besides some districts magistrates and
district police chief because they can also influence the elections.
They are already harassing our candidates," said Samajwadi Party
spokesperson Ram Gopal Yadav.

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[ZESTCaste] EC decision biased, against natural justice: BSP

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_election-commission-s-decision-biased-anti-dalit-bsp-and-8206_1634751

EC decision biased, against natural justice: BSP
Published: Saturday, Jan 7, 2012, 21:01 IST | Updated: Saturday, Jan
7, 2012, 21:59 IST
By PTI | Place: Lucknow | Agency: DNA

Uttar Pradesh's ruling BSP today termed as "one-sided and against
natural justice" the Election Commission's decision to cover the
statues of Chief Minsiter Mayawati and those of its poll symbol
elephant till the completion of the assembly election process in the
state.

"The Election Commission today directed covering the statues accepting
the one sided memorandum of anti-Dalit parties like Congress, BJP and
SP and it is also in violation of article 14 of the Constitution", BSP
General Secetary Satish C Misra told newspersons here.

The Commission did not give a chance to the party to hear its
viewpoint before passing such an order, he said adding "this would
have a bearing on the result of the coming elections on the fate of
these parties as the matter would now be in the court of the people."

The BSP leader said the party had hoped that the EC would take a
decision in the process of conducting free and fair elections but that
hope received a jolt today.

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[ZESTCaste] Register case against Cong candidate: Dalit Mahapanchayat to DM

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/dehradun/33454-register-case-against-cong-candidate-dalit-mahapanchayat-to-dm.html

Register case against Cong candidate: Dalit Mahapanchayat to DM

Saturday, 07 January 2012 22:59
PNS | Dehradun

Members of Uttarakhand Dalit Mahapanchyat has submitted memorandum to
Dehradun district magistrate and urged him to register a case against
the Congress candidate, Rajkumar who is contesting from Rajpur
constituency, which has turned reserved seat after delimitation.

Members alleged that the declared Congress candidate has managed to
have caste certificate on the basis of fake documents.

According to them, Rajkumar has not initiated any beneficiary schemes
for the dalits of the area. After listening to the grievances of the
members, DM assured that an enquiry would be set up in this regard.

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[ZESTCaste] Decision to cover poll symbol, Maya statues one sided: BSP

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Specials/Coverage/Assembly-Elections-2012/Chunk-HT-UI-AssemblyElections2012-UP-TopStories/Decision-to-cover-poll-symbol-Maya-statues-one-sided-BSP/SP-Article10-792945.aspx

Decision to cover poll symbol, Maya statues one sided: BSP
Press Trust Of India
Lucknow, January 07, 2012

The BSP on Saturday termed the Election Commission's decision to cover
all statues of chief minister Mayawati and her party symbol, the
elephant, till the assembly election process was over in Uttar Pradesh
as one-sided and against natural justice.

Reacting sharply to the
decision, BSP general secretary Satish Misra said this was a violation
of Article 14 of the Constitution.

"The EC has directed covering of the statues accepting the one-sided
memorandum of anti-dalit parties like Congress, BJP and SP," he said.

The decision was "one-sided and against the natural justice," Misra
told reporters in Lucknow.

The Commission did not give a chance to the BSP to hear its viewpoint
before passing the order, he said adding the party would take the
issue before the people' court.

The Election Commission on Saturday ordered that all statues of
Mayawati and elephants, installed at several places in the state, be
covered until the completion of the poll process.

CEC SY Qureshi said the directive would be implemented at the earliest
as the matter was related to the model code of conduct.

The staggered assembly election in Uttar Pradesh will commence on
February 4 and conclude on February 28.

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[ZESTCaste] Mayawati richest of 5 CMs going to polls

http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/UP-mayawati-richest-of-5-cms-going-to-poll-2725619.html?HT4=

Mayawati richest of 5 CMs going to polls

Source: DNA | Last Updated 08:33(08/01/12)

New Delhi: Among the chief ministers of the five states going to the
polls, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati is the richest, with
assets totalling Rs 87.27 crore, according to an affidavit submitted
to the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Analysing the affidavits, National Election Watch, a compendium of
1,200 NGOs, revealed that Manipur CM Ibobi Singh has the lowest net
worth - Rs 6.09 lakh - but he is also the only person among the five
heads of state to withhold PAN information.

Punjab CM Prakash Singh Badal has declared assets worth Rs 9.20 crore,
while Maj Gen (rtd) BC Khanduri of Uttarakhand has assets worth Rs
1.69 crore. Goa CM Digambar Kamat has declared assets of Rs 3.23
crore. Of the 10 MLAs facing serious criminal cases - ranging from
murder to waging war against the government - two each belong to the
BSP, Shrimani Akali Dal, BJP and Congress.

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