Mayawati's Maya

Few years ago, my friend returned from South after a huge offering in a temple(What we call Chadhawaa, in Hindi).The occasion was her grandfather’s 80^th birthday. The chadhawaa was worth lakhs of rupees asa donation to the temple authorities. I said, instead of this donation, if her family would have donated this amount to some needy or poor, god would have been happier. With due respect to the sentiments and the religious beliefs, I strongly believe that God would be happier with the donation made to AIDS or cancer patients who do not even have enough money to survive, let alone treatment.Service to mankind is service to God.

This incident struck my mind again when UP CM Mayawati celebrated her extravagant birthday while she was felicitated by a huge currency garland worth crores of rupees. Ah!! If ministers turn so spendthrift imagine the rate at which our economy will go down the drains.To add to it, one garland wasn’t enough, she was garlanded second time witha garland weighing little less than the first. I guess they couldn’t find more currency notes in reserve. Post the criticism of the pomp and show , the authorities claim that it was a gift from the collection made by the supporters of the party and their savior Behan.

How inconsiderate can somebody be !! UP government almost everytime has been pinpointed for its mismanagement and ineffective rule. Poverty and unemployment still are the major issues of the state. How can some body even think of being so ruthless and self centered? On one hand we avoid crackers on Diwali to keep a check on pollution, and look at this extreme case of extravaganza on minister’s birthday!And how calm can the Income Tax dept remain about this blatant show of money and power. Its the public money after all.

Our former President Dr. Kalam kept such a low profile on his birthday. Why can’t others learn something from such an iconic personality? Had she spend this amount on the welfare project for UP state, I am sure she would have been blessed a triple times!