'Austerity measures a drama, Shivaji statue election gimmick'

Mayawati was at her acerbic best on Thursday as she lashed out at the Congress’ austerity drive and hit out at her detractors over parks, statues and memorials.

 “Sonia is travelling economy class, Rahul is taking a train… this is nothing but a natak (drama) to fool the people,” she said. “The Congress is guilty of maximum misuse of government funds,” she told a BSP workers’ convention.

On the statue front, she said, “Nobody raised a finger when previous Congress governments spent thousands of crores to put up statues and memorials in honour of Gandhi-Nehru family members.”

“The Congress has again proved it is anti-Dalit by opposing memorials for Dalit leaders.” Regarding the Shivaji memorial the Maharashtra government proposes to build in Mumbai, she said, “Though we are not opposed to it, won’t it also cost crores of rupees?”

Wednesday’s function was held to mark the foundation-laying ceremony of the Kanshi Ram Green Eco Garden near the Kanshi Ram Memorial where work has been stopped following a recent Supreme Court order.  “My government has never flouted any SC order. A section of the media misled the court,” she said. She also blamed the Samajwadi Party (SP) for getting writs filed against her government.

She also lashed out at the UPA for deliberately stalling the Ambedkar Park project in Noida. “Environment-related concerns are being used with ill intention to stop this project,” she said.

Referring to SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav’s statement that her statues would be demolished once the SP came to power in UP, Mayawati warned: “If anybody dares to do any such thing, the law and order would be so badly disturbed that president Rule would have to be imposed in the entire country.”