Mayawati
Mayawati | |
|---|---|
| 23rd, 24th, 30th and 32nd Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh[1] | |
| Assumed office May 13, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Mulayam Singh Yadav |
| In office May 3, 2002 – August 29, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | President's rule |
| Succeeded by | Mulayam Singh Yadav |
| In office March 21, 1997 – September 21, 1997 | |
| Preceded by | President's rule |
| Succeeded by | Kalyan Singh |
| In office June 3, 1995 – October 18, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Mulayam Singh Yadav |
| Succeeded by | President's rule |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 15, 1956 New Delhi |
| Political party | Bahujan Samaj Party |
| Spouse | Unmarried |
| Occupation | Politician |
Mayawati (Hindi: मायावती) (born January 15, 1956) is an Indian politician. She is the current Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, India's most populated state[2][3]. It is the fourth time she holds this office, after three short tenures between 1995 and 2003. Her supporters refer to her as ][4]. At the age of 39, the unmarried Mayawati was the youngest politician to become the chief minister in Uttar Pradesh[5]. She is the first Dalit women chief minister of any Indian states, Kumari Mayawati is an icon for millions of India's Dalits who still provide an important base for her after centuries of oppression by the upper castes. [6]
Early life
Mayawati was born in Rampur into the low-caste Hindu Jatav or Chamar, community to Ram Rati and Prabhu Das. Prabhu Das, her father, worked as a clerk in the telecommunications department. She graduated from Kalindi College in Delhi and holds bachelor's degrees in Law and Education degrees. She worked as a teacher in Delhi (Inderpuri JJ Colony). In 1977, Kanshi Ram became very influential in her life resulting in her joining his core team when he founded the BSP in 1984. Shortly after, she changed her career path and entered politics full time.
Political career
In 1982 Kanshi Ram founded the BSP as a party to represent the Buddhist and Dalits and Mayawati was the key member of this organization. BSP fielded Mayawati for its first election campaign from the Kairana Lok Sabha seat in the Muzaffarnagar district in 1984, and then again for the Lok Sabha seats of Bijnor in 1985 and Haridwar in 1989. [7]
Although BSP did not win, the electoral experience led to considerable groundwork over the next five years, (working with Mahsood Ahmed and other organizers). In 1989 election, party won 9% of the popular vote and 13 seats, 11 seats in 1991 election. Because the Dalits are widely-spread over the state, Kanshi Ram and Mayawati then adopted a policy of attracting other groups, which continues today. Mayawati won for the first time in the Lok Sabha elections of 1989 from Bijnor. In 1995, while a member of the Rajya Sabha, she became a Chief Minister in a short-lived coalition government, and validated her position by winning from two constituencies in 1996. She was again Chief Minister for a short period in 1997, and then for a somewhat longer term in coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party from 2002 to 2003. Before that in 2001 her mentor, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Kanshi Ram named her as his successor. In 2003, during one of her tenures as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati was accused of corruption by the opposition, Samajwadi Party. The Samajwadi Party legislators presented a video cassette and a CD to the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, which they claimed showed Mayawati asking her MLAs to hand over money from their annual constituency fund towards BSP's party fund[8]. Shortly thereafter, Mayawati got more than 140 cases filed against her bete noire and head of Samajwadi Party, Mulayam Singh Yadav, for alleged misuse of the Chief Minister's Discretionary Fund when he headed the government in 1995-96. She also got first information reports (FIRs) registered against other leaders of the Samajwadi Party.
2007 U. P. Assembly Elections
Contrary to some poll predictions, BSP won a majority, the first such majority since 1991. Mayawati managed to attract support from Brahmins, Thakurs, Muslims and OBCs voted for the first time for a Dalit party, partly because BSP had offered seats to people from these communities. As usual, this was accompanied by a colorful slogan: Haathi nahin, Ganesh hain, Brahma, Vishnu Mahesh Hain: The elephant (BSP Logo) is really the Lord Ganesha, the trinity of gods rolled into one.
Chief Minister, 2009
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (January 2009) |
Mayawati was sworn in as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh for the fourth time on 13 May 2007. She announced an agenda that focused on providing social justice to the weaker sections and providing employment instead of distributing money to the unemployed. Her slogan is to make "Uttar Pradesh" ("Northern Province") into "Uttam Pradesh" ("Excellent Province"). Her initial action was to suspend two IAS officers for non-performance alleging that they had failed to maintain the Ambedkar park in Lucknow: B. B. Singh, Vice-President (LDA), and S. K. Aggarwal (PWD Principal Sec.) and another lower rank officer. It is widely believed that these officers were close to the outgoing government of Mulayam Singh Yadav[9]. She has transferred around 100 police officers. [10] According to her, she is continuing the process of clearing out corruption in the UP Police Department, whereas other parties claim that she is nurturing corruption by creating a team of government officials who operate under her personal control. The campaign is a major crackdown on corrupt police officers recruited during the previous Mulayam Singh government. So far 17,868 policemen have lost their jobs for irregularities in the recruitment process and 25 IPS officers were suspended for their involvement in corruption while recruiting the police constables. [11] She has also opened case files related to land deals of the leading actor Amitabh Bachchan in Barabanki, who is close to the previous Samajwadi Party regime. Keeping an eye on the votes of upper castes, she now talks about a policy for poverty-based reservations rather than caste-based reservations. [12]
2009 parliamentary elections
Mayawati's BSP did not match expectations in the 2009 general elections. The BSP, which was expected to win more than 35 seats in Lok Sabha from the state of Uttar Pradesh, succeeded in bagging only 20 seats. The BSP obtained the highest percentage (27. 42%) of votes in UP for any one political party. It was in third position in terms of national polling percentage (6. 17%). [13].
Controversies
Statues
In her tenures as a Chief Minister, Mayawati erected number of statutes of Buddhist and Dalit icons like Bhimrao Ambedkar, Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj, Gautam Buddha. [14] , BSP founder Kanshi Ram, and of herself. The statues and the memorial parks in which they are erected are said to have cost the state Rs. 2000 Crore. [15] Even when the state of Uttar Pradesh declared 47 districts as drought hit [16] . In September 2008 the Supreme Court of India reproved the Uttar Pradesh government over construction of statues. Recently Mayawati government approved a plan for special police force to protect statues. She feared that her political opponents might demolish the statues. [17]. Desecration of statutes of Dalit icon Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar is common in all parts of India. [18] [19] [20] [21]. She claimed that the expenditure was required because the past governments did not show respect towards Dalit icons in whose memory nothing was ever built. [22].
Taj Corridor case
The Taj Corridor case is an alleged scam where in 2002-2003, then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Mayawati was allegedly charged with corruption. The Taj Corridor project was a project to upgrade tourist facilities near the Taj Mahal implemented during her tenure as Chief Minister. The BJP government at the Centre at that time gave the Environmental Clearance required for such project near Taj Mahal. Mayawati denies any wrongdoing. [23] The Supreme Court of India ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation enquiry into the matter, specifically to probe Mayawati's and the then Union Minster for Environment, Naseemuddin Siddiqui's involvement in the scam. Upon the conclusion of the investigation, the findings were reported to the Governor of Uttar Pradesh who thereafter refused to grant sanction for prosecution of the two under Section 197 Cr. P. C. This refusal was once again brought to the Supreme Court of India where the bench decided that rulings on such a sanction were out of its jurisdiction and it was the executive's (the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, here) discretion[24].
Birthday gifts
Mayawati's past birthdays have been major media events where she appeared laden with diamonds[25]. On her recent birthday Mayawati launched various welfare schemes to the tune of over Rs 7,312 crores. Her birthday being observed as Jan Kalyankari Diwas[26].
Embezzlement
Mayawati been accused of ordering her BSP's MPs to contribute their discretion funds and MPLADS funds to the party-fund illegally[27] In 2007-08 assessment year, Mayawati paid more income tax than industrialist and Forbes-listed Mukesh Ambani[28].
Yamuna Expressway
It is alleged that 9000 farmers were robbed of their land in Mayawati's tenure [29].
See also
References
- ^ UP CMs & their terms. Retrieved on March 30, 2007.
- ^ "Mayawati in Newsweek's top woman achievers' list".
- ^ "Mayawati is India's anti-Obama: Newsweek".
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1958378.stm
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1958378.stm
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1958378.stm
- ^
"Profile of Mayawati, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh". Official UP Government Release.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ "Samajwadi Party claims to have on tape Mayawati demanding a 'cut'". Rediff.com. 2003-03-04. Retrieved 2007-03-30.
- ^ "Politics of vendetta".
- ^ Maya cracks whip IBNlive.com
- ^ "Uttar Pradesh police recruitment scam". News Track India. 2007-10-01. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ^ Mayawati promises justice for all
- ^ http://eci.nic.in/results/frmPercentVotesPartyWiseChart. aspx
- ^ Rajiv Ranjan Jha (25 May 2005). "Mayawati adds another 100 feet to her stature". Times of India. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
- ^ http://ibnlive. in.com/news/mayawati-gets-statuetory-warning-from-sc/95951-37.html
- ^ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124867513753883107.html
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8499673.stm
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6211532. stm
- ^ http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/desecration-of-ambedkar-statue-triggers-protests-in-uttar-pradesh_100154520.html
- ^ http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/protests-in-ghaziabad-over-damage-to-ambedkar-statue_100309230.html
- ^ http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/ambedkar-statue-desecrated-tension-in-chhattisgarh-village_10063352.html
- ^ memorials-will-not-cost-any-more-money-says-mayawati
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1958378.stm
- ^ Coram: S. B. SINHA S. H. KAPADIA D. K. JAIN (2007-10-10). "M. C. Mehta Vs. Union of India & Ors".
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1958378.stm
- ^ http://beta.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article80662.ece
- ^ http://www.financialexpress.com/news/MPLAD-Funds-See-78-Utilisation/85804/
- ^ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Mayawati_SRK_top_taxpayers_list/articleshow/3319521.cms
- ^ url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/yamuna-expressway-halts-in-its-tracks/414323/1 |Retrieved 23october2009