Mayawati in garland conundrum

By O.J.George

UP Chief Minister Mayawati is again in a controversy for accepting a garland furtively made of Rs 1,000 notes at the rally which was organized to celebrate 25 years of the BSP founded by her mentor, the late Kanshiram.

In fact, Mayawati need not be unduly perturbed about the party leader receiving money during such occasions. For, that has been the modus operandi of celebrations of the BSP.

But now she has found herself in a bind only because the Income Tax Department has come calling on her to explain the source of the huge input of currencies.

Now Mayawati has convened a meeting of her ministers, MPs and MLAs to sort out the issue. Naturally, they would be asked to own up in part funding for the garland. No doubt, they might have worked overtime at fund mobilisation.

An initial estimate was that the garland would come to Rs five crore.But Congress leader Digvijay Singh has come up with a calculation arriving at the figure of Rs 22.50 crore. The garland was 10 metres long, each ring had 45 1000-notes, and each cm had five such rings. Well, the calculation is perfect, as per the version of Digvijay Singh.

This is only with regard to the garland, but there were other forms of opulence about which the party has never been ashamed.

Meanwhile, Mayawati has asked for launch of a high-level probe into the release of honey bees at her function when the garland was adorned on her. For some time, a swarm of honey bees hovered around her head, irritating her! Many are the devious ways of politics.