Babasaheb Or Bust...

I N the battle for the Ambedkar stakes, it is only natural that a memorial be built in recognition for his services. While she had often spoken of such a memorial during her tenure, this time round Mayawati swung into action as soon as she assumed power on March 21, 1997. She publicly announced the setting up of the Ambedkar park project in Lucknow's Gomti Nagar-the design for which has been prepared by Satish Gujral. The initial outlay for the project was Rs 14 crore. Within two months it jumped to Rs 34 crore and its current status is Rs 71 crore. And by September 21, when Mayawati makes way for a BJP chief minister and by when she has vowed to inaugurate it, the cost will touch the Rs 100 crore mark.

Why has the outlay been jumping thus? Because Mayawati did not approve of certain designs and has got the expensive marble tiles relaced twice, once with red tiles and the second time with black marble. Both times the entire memorial, spread over 27 acres, was dug up and relaid.

The hurry with which the project was commissioned has raised eyebrows. Particularly the way money was sanctioned. Despite objections from UP's finance department to the decision as there was no allocation, Mayawati has gone ahead with the project With the result that a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) team is currently in the state capital examining how Rs 100 crore has been withdrawn from the Contingency Fund. In this case, the CAG team is looking for the files even before the project has been completed.

As per rules, the state government is authorised to withdraw Rs 1,000 crore from perfectly the Contingency Fund, but only in an last three emergency. Withdrawing funds for even 'development' projects is practically unprecedented.

Says Uttar Pradesh Development Minister Lalji Tandon, who belongs to the BJP: "Even Mulayam Singh Yadav withdrew from the Contingency Fund to pay off his journalist friends. There was no CAG objection then."

In one of the many fancy plans for the park, Mayawati has ordered that a 24hour water fountain be erected in the park,located in an area where there is a perpetual water shortage. Says former MP Mohan Singh: "If that fountain is erected, it will mean the end of water for Gomtinagar (a posh enclave housing ministers, legislators and top officials)."

But obviously, that is not the electorate Mayawati is seeking to impress. In the meantime, the CAG's office says the state government is not helpful in providing papers for the audit. Which, of course, is perfectly understandable, because in the last three months eight smaller statues of Ambedkar have come up all over Lucknow.