New Delhi: The Supreme Court issued a show-cause notice to Uttar Pradesh government for using public money for installing statues of Chief Minister Mayawati on Monday.
A vacation bench of the Supreme Court took up a public interest litigation (PIL) filed against Mayawati for allegedly misusing public money for installing statues of prominent Dalit leaders like Dr BR Ambedkar, Kanshi Ram besides party symbols.
The PIL seeks a stay on the inauguration of these statues on July 3.
The petitioner has alleged that the multi-crore projects of installing statues are being carried out as a state policy, which is arbitrary and violates Article 14 of the Constitution.
Sixty statues of the elephant, the party symbol of the BSP, have been installed at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore. The PIL also seeks the removal of Mayawati statues and all party symbols from public places.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, too, described Mayawati’s alleged spending as “shameful.”
“She is spending Rs 1,000 crore on establishing statues of elephants and herself. Can there be something more shameful than this in Indian politics?” he asked.
“Of what use will be the statues in UP. The Rs 1000 crore could have helped wipe out poverty of thousands of people, provide basic amenities and education,” he said, addressing a meeting to thank voters of his constituency Sivaganga on Sunday night.
Pointing out that people all over the country had rejected caste politics, he said this was especially true in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, “where 20 years of caste domination has gone”.
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