Mayawati wants her 55th birthday to be an austere event

For the first time in recent history, BSP chief Mayawati will celebrate her birthday sans expensive gifts and hefty cash donations. The Dalit leader plans to keep her 55th birthday on January 15 next an austere event.

Party cadres have clear orders not to collect chanda (donations) for the occasion, apparently as part of an image makeover in preparation for the Uttar Pradesh (UP) assembly election of 2012.

A disproportionate assets (DA) case pending against her in the Supreme Court and Income Tax sleuths hounding her in another case might also have compelled her to keep her birthday a low key affair. However, political opponents are unconvinced and say this is just a gimmick which won’t fool anyone.

“Party leaders or workers who collect money for my birthday will be sent to jail,” Mayawati warned at a party meeting here on Thursday. She told party cadres that her birthday should be celebrated simply, without any pomp and show.

BSP workers celebrate January 15 as ‘arthik sahyog divas’ (financial support day) every year, collecting huge donations ostensibly for the party. Her birthday celebrations have been lavish events marked by song and dance, and elaborate festivity. Expensive gifts, including gold and diamond jewellery ostensibly “gifted” by party workers have been the high point of these occasions.

But now a DA case, being keenly pursued by the CBI in the Supreme Court and an Income Tax case, questioning the authenticity of her “gifts” seems to have forced Behn ji to cut down on the merriment.

But political opponents say the UP Chief Minister is fooling no one. “This is just pubkic posturing. In reality, BSP workers have already started collecting money to please their Behn j,” says UP Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi. “I know about several instances where partty leaders have resorted to extortion to fill green bags to be presented to Mayawati on her birthday,” she added.

“The people of UP have seen Mayawati’s real face. She loves only money,” says Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav. “Corruption is at its peak because contractors, bureaucrats and BSP leaders are working overtime to out do each other in presenting Mayawati money, diamonds and jewellery,” he remarked.