India: Defiant CM Mayawati accepts another currency garland

Huge garlands of currency notes seem to be the flavour of March in India. Even as the opposition uproar over the morality of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister accepting a garland of Rs 1000 notes on Monday was yet to die down, the Dalit leader showed contempt for opponents by accepting another such garland at her party office on Wednesday worth Rs 18 lakh.

Not to be outdone, a Bihar MP was ‘honoured’ in the same way for opposing the Women’s Reservation Bill in Rajya Sabha. Expelled Janata Dal (U) MP Ejaz Ali was garlanded with currency notes worth Rs. 1 lakh by his supporters when he landed from New Delhi at the Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport in Patna. However, the garland was snatched later by unknown persons in the crowd.

The latest garland was presented to Mayawati at a meeting of party leaders. It comprised notes of various denominations and put around her neck. The garland on Monday presented at the massive rally in Lucknow was valued at Rs 21 lakh to Rs 15 crore. "Wherever she goes, she will henceforth be greeted with garland of notes and not with garland of flowers," state PWD minister and Muslim face of BSP Naseemuddin Siddiqui told the media.

As a fall-out of the controversy, Karnataka BSP spokesman Y N Sharma, who on Monday disclosed that it was a garland of currency notes, was on Wednesday sacked from the post. He said he was being made a "scapegoat".

Parliament was rocked by the issue on Monday and Tuesday with BSP's opponents disrupting proceedings and demanding action against Mayawati. The Income Tax department also said it would probe the issue.

Wednesday’s display was also attacked by political parties including Congress, BJP and SP leaders who described it as a blot on democracy and a brazen display of love for money.

Mayawati has been in controversy in the past for collecting public donations on her birthdays. An enthusiastic BSP worker from Kanpur had gifted a “plot on the moon” on her birthday this year. The BSP supremo’s diamond jewellery sets and her statues carrying a purse have been hot topics of discussion in political circles.

The Congress has dubbed as "vulgar display" of money in politics the garlanding of Chief Minister Mayawati with currency notes.

AICC general secretary in-charge of UP, Digvijay Singh said she is "no more a Dalit ki beti but Daulat ki beti (she is not the daughter of a Dalit, but daughter of wealth)." He said Congress does not subscribe to this brazen display of wealth and will oppose this "terrible" corruption. Another Congress spokesman Jayanthi Natarajan said authorities should probe the source of funds to prepare the garlands.

- Asian Tribune -