Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati promised a change if elected to power, i.e. no parks, statues or memorials, while campaigning for the upcoming elections next year.
"We do not need to make any new monuments or parks in the name of those who were our guiding lights - we have already done it thok ke bhaav (wholesale) in our previous terms," the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) said, addressing a gathering in Lucknow.
If I form the government again I will not concentrate on statues or memorials or parks but in governing the state to the best possible ability", said Mayawati. At this point, loud cheers were heard from the crowd.
Mayawati lost power in UP in 2012 to rival Samajwadi Party of Akhilesh Yadav. Her party has not quite recovered lost ground since then, its performance consistently poor in state and national elections.
Mayawati before 2012, commissioned parks and sprawling monuments with giant statues of herself, BSP founder Kanshi Ram and elephants (her party's symbol) in the name of "Dalit pride".
It is eminent to note that the ex-CM tries to hold close ties with Brahmins in the state to win over the vote bank. BSP held ''Brahmin Sammelan'' in July in Ayodhya to connect with the community.
Mayawati said that the BSP will ensure the interests of the Brahmin community are safe when it comes to power.
"I'm very hopeful that Brahmins will not vote for the BJP in the next Assembly polls", she had said.
She said, the Brahmin community should support her party like the Dalit community which has remained loyal to her party despite "money power" and other methods to influence them by the BJP.
Brahmins are estimated to be about 11 percent of Uttar Pradesh's population and have traditionally played major roles in politics and power equations in UP.
With forging Hindu-Muslim unity at Muzaffarnagar farmers meet to trying to win over Brahmins, the lady is seems not to be leaving any page unturned.
