New Delhi, Lucknow: For weeks now Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has been transforming the look of her state, not with better roads or bridges but with statues and memorials.
But on Monday, the Supreme Court stepped in and asked the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister to explain why taxpayers' money is being misused in the making of these statues and monuments.
"We are concerned with the issue, not with the petitioner," the judges said.
That effectively snubbed Mayawati's argument questioning the petitioner Ravikant who had said that the money is a waste.
"I would have been happy has she spent even Rs one crore on healthcare and schools besides spending crores on these monuments," said Ravikant.
The budget of building these statues is a whopping Rs 2,000 crore. Ironically, the money allocated for building new schools this year is only Rs 35 crore.
Mayawati is worried to have sent her right-hand man SC Mishra to attend Monday's hearing. Now she has a month to explain the need for such expenditure.
Her political rivals, meanwhile, have scented an opportunity.
"What a shame that Mayawati is spending over Rs 1,000 crore for building statues of elephants and of herself. The same money could be spent for irrigation, education or for giving medical care, which could benefit lakhs of people," Home Minister P Chidambaram said.
The Supreme Court is concerned with the huge spending by Mayawati on statues than on social projects in UP. Now she may find it difficult to justify this expense.