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ShareNew Delhi: New Delhi
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati's statue-installing spree is more than just a personal programme of aggrandisement, feel major sociologists.
Ashish Nandy seems to accept Maya's stand on her statue "fetish" as a subversion of the ongoing "Nehru-Gandhi discourse". "The Nehru-Gandhi family has been doing this for the last 60 years. Almost every member of the family, including minor figures like Kamala Nehru, have had schools, colleges, airports and statues installed. If Mayawati does this, I don't think it should be a big deal," Nandy said.
Political scientist Sudha Pai, author of Dalit Assertion and Unfinished Democratic Revolution, says that putting up statues is a symbolic act wherein Dalit assertion is before the world. It is also a way for Mayawati, according to Pai, to bridge the Bahujan-sarvajan divide. The pre-eminent position given to Brahmins in the new BSP set-up may upset her traditional Dalit base. By re-emphasising Ambedkar, Kanshi Ram and herself she is trying to reassure that constituency, says Pai.
The BSP as a party has laid a lot of emphasis on re-interpreting history with insights on Dalit heroes of the freedom struggle. Resurrection of Dalit social reformer Jotiba Phule, or Jhalkari Bai or even Uda Devi are attempts in this direction.
All this, however, does not find favour with historian Mridula Mukherjee, director of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, who says that Mayawati's insistence on putting up her own statues is what is attracting criticism, rather than statues of deceased leaders. "There has always been a tradition of putting up statues to mark an individual's contribution not only in India but across the world. The statues are, however, put up after history has judged your actions and your contribution. Mayawati's actions have taken that out of the hands of history. I would say that she should allow others to take a call on whether her contribution merits a statue or not," she said.
Whatever the case, Mayawati must keep in mind that when it comes to tax money, the public can be unforgiving.
