Mayawati spending crores over statues shameful: Chidamabaram

Manamadurai (TN), Jun 29 (PTI) India's Home Minister P
Chidamabaram has described as shameful India's northern state
Uttar Pradesh's (UP) Chief Minister Mayawati spending crores
of rupees on installing her own statues.

"She is spending Rs 1000 crore on establishing statues
of elephants and herself. Can there be something more shameful
than this in Indian politics," he asked.

"Of what use will be the statues in UP. The Rs 1000
crore could have helped wipe out poverty of thousands of
people, provide basic amenities and education," he said,
addressing a meeting to thank voters of his constituency
Sivaganga on Sunday night.

Pointing out that people all over the country had
rejected caste politics, he said this was especially true in
Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, "where 20 years of
caste domination has gone".

"People like Mulayam Singh Yadav who were practising
caste politics were rejected. People there thought beyond
caste politics and elected Congress party, which is above
caste politics and works for the people."

Voicing concern over role of "casteism" in elections
in parts of Sivaganga, he told people to go by government's
achievements, not by considerations like caste.

He said caste based parties had been dealt a 'death
blow' in Tamil Nadu (India's southern state). "I regret the
alliance with caste based PMK (Pattali Makkal Katchi) earlier,
the party faced a rout in the recent elections."

"If the Congress government does not achieve anything
then you hit it with a Semmatti (hammer) during the poll. You
debate on what we have achieved and then vote," he said. PTI
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