Mayawati spends crores on guards for memorials

Lucknow: The memorials and parks that she spends crores building are being studied by the Supreme Court. The reason: taxpayers are being forced to fund them.

But that hasn't stopped Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati from stubbornly going ahead with her plans. So now, she's shelling out another 9 crores - once again, taxpayers' money - on creating a special force to guard the memorials. Recruitment begins on Saturday for a thousand retired policemen who will be asked to watch over the statues of Dalit icons, including her own, in nine parks across Uttar Pradesh. They won't be overworked for long. The Chief Minister wants to eventually have a 2-lakh-strong force that is estimated to cost 67 crores. But this first battalion has to be hired within a week.

Meanwhile, there are 26,000 vacancies in the police force in her state, which has the country's worst crime statistics, including the highest amount of sexual crimes against children.

''What is the need for protecting her statues? Will they lose height or weight? Is someone planning to disfigure them?'' asked an incredulous Ambika Chaudhury, a member of the Opposition Samajwadi Party earlier this year, when the Chief Minister announced her plans for her memorial guard in the State Assembly.

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The Chief Minister has made it clear in the past that her own residence - which she considers a Dalit monument in its own right - will also be patrolled by her new A-Team.

Apparently, it's her way or the highway - now if only she'd spend some money on developing some of those, for example.

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