The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati is believed to have abandoned the usually grand celebrations as her birthday this time has been overshadowed by the December murder of a PWD engineer involving BSP legislator Shekhar Tiwari. The MLA allegedly lynched the engineer after he refused to donate Rs.5 million for the chief minister’s birthday.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has decided to “stay away” from a lavish birthday bash as she turns 53 on Thursday, but she will shower gifts on the downtrodden by announcing welfare schemes for them on the occasion.

“No bash on my birthday this year,” she is believed to have told officials and followers who have always organised mega celebrations Jan 15, specially during her chief ministerial tenures.

Instead of the opulent display of her classy solitaires, she is now all set to gift to the state of 160 million people a slew of welfare schemes worth over Rs.10 billion (Rs. 1,000 crore or $205 million) targeting the social sector.

“The Opposition has tried to malign me and link the death of the engineer to my birthday,” said Mayawati. She, however, said that the money collected by her party was twice the amount they had collected in 2008. She said that the collected money would be used for the upcoming general elections.

“I will use the funds for the Lok Sabha elections, I thank the Opposition for this,” she said making a tongue-in-cheek remark against the Opposition.

She further clarified that the was no evidence of her involvement in the death of the PWD engineer who had died recently. She said that actions had been taken against those involved in the death and that the victim’s family was satisfied.

While the SP will observe January 15 as “thu thu diwas” (day of shame), the Congress said it would organise a state-wide protest against the alleged anti-people policies of the state government. Bhartiya Kisan Union led by Mahendra Singh Tikait plans to observe Dhikkar Diwas on Thursday and hold demonstrations.

But now its capacity to capture more Parliamentary seats in UP has is becoming more and more doubtful with daily reports of maladministration, support to goondas, control-free unwanted spending of Govt. money and incidents like Noida Rape Case / Extortion than unnecessary preparations for a gala birth day for the leader. Such Public Funds laundered on Birthday should be diverted to Betterment of State which is way behind in Development compared to other states.

Instead of developing the State & the well-being of the downtrodden, Mayawati seems more interested in her birthday celebrations which is nothing but a burden on the State Ex-Exchequer.

A grand show of BSP in the coming Parliamentary elections is, therefore, is very difficult. However, it is not too late to see the writing on the wall and look at strategies to counter the actions of opposition parties. BSP is no more a party of downtrodden.

As long as illiterate people of India keep electing goondas who delivers monetary or other personal advantage to their caste fellows,region etc the common man will be the more effected & such day to day incidents of crime will be an daily affair.

Its a pity such happenings occur these days in Democratic India.

email