Mayawati - WikiHQ

Kumari Mayawati (born Kumari Mayawati Das;

Mayawati's tenure has attracted praise and criticism. Millions of Dalits across India popularly view her as an icon, and refer to her as Behen-ji (elder sister). She has been praised for her fundraising efforts on behalf of her party and her birthdays have been widely celebrated by her supporters. On the contrary, the rise in her personal wealth and that of her party have been criticised as indicative of corruption. on 15 January 1956 at Shrimati Sucheta Kriplani Hospital, New Delhi. Her father Prabhu Das, was a post office employee at Badalpur village, near Dadri in Gautam Buddha Nagar. In August 2012 a bill was cleared that starts the process of amending the constitution so that the reservation system can be expanded to promotions in state jobs. She was elected national president of the BSP for her first term on 18 September 2003. She was elected unopposed for a second consecutive term on 27 August 2006.

Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh

As the Chief Minister, Mayawati gained a reputation for efficient governance and promoting law and order, winning praise even from opposition parties and other rivals. In 2007, MP Umakant Yadav of her own political party, accused in a land grabbing case, was arrested near her dwelling on her orders. During September–October 2010, at the time of the Ayodhya verdict, her government maintained law and order and the state remained peaceful. Several high-profile criminals and mafia dons were jailed during her terms in office. She called for strong anti-rape laws. Fewer riots, lowest rapes, and least corruption occurred during her tenure as compared to previous or successive governments. In the 2007–2012 assembly, only 124 MLAs were crorepatis as compared to 271 crorepatis in successive assembly elected in 2012. Uttar Pradesh achieved higher GDP growth rate at 17 per cent and lesser crimes under Mayawati regime as compared to previous and successive governments.

First term, 1995

Mayawati first served as Chief Minister from 3 June 1995 to 18 October 1995 with support of BJP. During this term, the new districts of Ambedkar Nagar district and Udham Singh Nagar district were created.

Second term, 1997

Her second term was from 21 March 1997 to 20 September 1997. A drive under her government allotted pattas or gram sabha lands on lease to thousands of landless residents. In April 1997, she created Gautam Budh Nagar district from the district of Ghaziabad, Kaushambi district was separated from Allahabad district, and Jyotiba Phule Nagar district (now called Amroha district) from Moradabad district. In May 1997, Mahamaya Nagar district (now called Hathras district) was created out of Aligarh district and Banda district was split into Banda and Chatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar. Mayawati carried out review meetings with bureaucrats and suspended 127 officers. She set up the Dr Ambedkar Awards and erected over 100 statues of various sizes of Ambedkar in Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad and other key towns.

Third term, 2002-2003

Her third term was from 3 May 2002 to 26 August 2003, in which she had the support of BJP. She suspended 12 IAS officers, including Divisional Commissioners and District Magistrates. Six IPS officers were suspended for failing to maintain law and order, while 24 officers were warned to improve. She started 511 acre Gautam Buddha University. She renamed King George's Medical University to Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University. She suspended three senior officials after review in a couple of administrative divisions.

Fourth term, 2007–12

thumb|Mayawati's statue [[Ambedkar Memorial Park.]]

Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state and one of its poorest, is considered pivotal in the politics of India because of its large number of voters.

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 of society and providing employment instead of distributing money to the unemployed. Her slogan was to make "Uttar Pradesh" ("Northern Province") into "Uttam Pradesh" ("Excellent Province"). A quota for promotions was also introduced, but was later quashed by the Supreme Court of India. In September 2007, Bhimrao Ambedkar Rural Integrated Development Programme was started. The Dr Ambedkar Gram Vikas Yojana scheme was launched for supplying water, electricity, and constructing roads in villages with a Dalit majority. Under this scheme, 24,716 villages received improvements.

In 2008, Mayawati launched, Manyawar Shri Kanshiram Ji Shahri Garib Awas Yojna, a scheme for building low-cost housing colonies for urban poor with 90,000 low-cost homes under the first round of construction in different towns and cities across the state while a second and a third round were still underway when government ended in 2012 and next government scrapped the scheme including cutting down electricity of these colonies.

Mayawati government started efforts to set up solar power plants and the first 5 MW solar power plant located in Naini of Allahabad district started functioning in March 2012 and was developed by EMC Limited. UP government signed a MoU with NTPC Limited for 1,320-MW power plant. Mayawati's dream project of 165 km six lane Yamuna Expressway connected Delhi to Agra through Noida–Greater Noida Expressway, touching 1,182 villages in the state. Later, Indian Air Force fighter jet Dassault Mirage 2000 test-Landed on Yamuna Expressway as Part of Trials. On 15 January 2008, Mayawati inaugurated the construction of the 1,047 km Ganga Expressway at the cost of for joining Ballia to Greater Noida. In 2008, her government established Dr. Shakuntala Misra National Rehabilitation University for the Physically challenged students. In November 2009, Mayawati dedicated Noida Metro constructed at the cost of . She had vigorously proposed for construction of Jewar airport near Noida. In October 2011, Mayawati government under public-private partnership with Jaypee Group successfully executed and delivered First F1 Indian Grand Prix, an international event at Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida constructed by Jaypee Group. The event was hailed as flawlessly conducted salvaging some of India's prestige when compared to minor embarrassments in 2010 Commonwealth Games (Before opening ceremony) conducted in Delhi. Mayawati presented the winning trophy to winner Sebastian Vettel. Foreigners found the track as 'impressive' and 3 Indian teenagers picked by a F1 panel to train them as future Formula One drivers in Europe.

Mayawati has seen through to completion of several memorials dedicated to icons of Bahujan Samaj build first time in India, including the Manyawar Shri Kanshiram Ji Green Eco Garden (inaugurated March 2011), Kanpur Dehat as Rambai Nagar, Sambhal as Bheem Nagar, Shamli as Prabuddha Nagar, Hapur as Panchsheel Nagar, Kasganj as Kanshiram Nagar, Hathras as Mahamaya Nagar and Amroha as JP Nagar.

Mayawati during her tenure directed all the Commissioners and the District Magistrates to distribute 3 acre land pieces or pattas to weaker sections of society by launching special drive for illegal possesses of pattas be dispossessed of them and the eligible poor be identified by regular monitoring of pattas and strict action against the mafias and musclemen through spot verification of different development and public welfare programmes. In 2010, 5596 people belonging to the SC and ST communities were allotted 1054.879 hectares of agriculture land. In a special drive 74 FIRs were filed and 88 people were arrested for illegal occupation from agricultural land. Sugar Information Service a model website supported by SMS and IVRS facility was developed. Mayawati dedicated the 286-bed super-specialty Centenary hospital in Lucknow and 50-bed critical care unit at CSMMU and increased salaries of doctors. Mayawati, in 2007, launched Manyawar Kanshiram Multi-speciality Hospital in Greater Noida which started its OPD services in April 2013. Mayawati government also spent on Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Multi Speciality Hospital in Sector 30 of Noida.

Her government also instituted Sant Ravidas Kala Samman Award with a cash prize of . Under Savitri Bai Phule Balika Shiksha Madad Yojna, Mayawati distributed over 10 lakh bicycles among Muslim and poor school girls from 2008 to 2011.

thumb|A geographical comparison of Mayawati's bifurcation plan of Uttar Pradesh compared to that of Ambedkar's.

After coming to power in 2007, Mayawati wrote letters to the Prime Minister regarding partitioning of Uttar Pradesh into four different states in 2007, in March 2008 and December 2009. Finally on 15 November 2011, Mayawati's cabinet approved partitioning Uttar Pradesh into four different states (Pashchim Pradesh, Awadh Pradesh, Bundelkhand and Purvanchal) for better administration and governance. On 13 March 2012 she filed nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha, and she was declared elected unopposed on 22 March. and for fourth term on 28 August 2019.

On 10 December 2023 Mayawati named nephew Akash Anand as her successor. However, he was sacked immediately after his comments on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

In recent years, the party has seen a decline in popularity in both state and national elections, with key figures within the BSP defecting and election results declining.

Political and legal issues

thumb|[[Ambedkar Memorial Park at night]]

Mayawati's political career has attracted praise and controversy. She asked the BJP-run Government of India to remove Union Tourism and Culture Minister, Jagmohan for conspiring this all controversy against her.

In June 2007, Governor T. V. Rajeswar said that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute her. In his 23-page order, he said: "the fact that the Mission Management Board, consisting of officers of both the State and the Central Government, regularly met and discussed the project and the fact that even a sum of 170,000,000 (17 crores) was spent through the Central Government public sector undertaking, NPCC, all go to show that the serious offences with which Mayawati and the Minister were charged do not stand scrutiny." Her party asserted that her income comes from gifts and small contributions made by party workers and supporters. having parks, gallerias, museums, memorials, murals and statues representing Buddhist and Hindu, Dalit/OBC icons like Gautama Buddha, Gadge Maharaj, Ravidas, Kabir, Narayana Guru, Jyotirao Phule, Shahu IV, B. R. Ambedkar, BSP party founder Kanshi Ram, and of herself.

As per the election affidavit of 2012 (Rajya Sabha), Mayawati has assets worth ₹111.64 crores and liabilities worth ₹87.68 lakhs (0.87 crores).

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! # !! From !! To !! Position !! Party

| 1. || 1989 || 1991 || MP (1st term) in 9th Lok Sabha from Bijnor || BSP

| 2. || 1994 || 1996 || MP (1st term) in Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh (resigned in Oct 1996) || BSP

| 3. || 1996 || 1997 || MLA (1st term) in 13th Vidhan Sabha from Harora (resigned in 1996) and Bilsi (resigned in 1997) || BSP

| 4. || 1998 || 1999 || MP (2nd term) in 12th Lok Sabha from Akbarpur || BSP

| 5. || 1999 || 2002 || MP (3rd term) in 13th Lok Sabha from Akbarpur (resigned in 2002) || BSP

| 6. || 2004 || 2004 || MP (4th term) in 14th Lok Sabha from Akbarpur (resigned in July 2004) || BSP

| 7. || 2004 || 2007 || MP (2nd term) in Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh (resigned in July 2007) || BSP

| 8. || 2007 || 2012 || Chief Minister (4th term) in Government of Uttar Pradesh || BSP

| 9. || 2007 || 2012 || MLC in Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council (resigned in 2012) || BSP

| 10. || 2012 || 2017 || MP (3rd term) in Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh (resigned in July 2017) || BSP

Personal life and public image

thumb|Statues of Mayawati (L) and Kanshi Ram (R) at [[Ambedkar Memorial Park]]

Mayawati started her political career after Kanshi Ram, the founder of Bahujan Samaj Party, persuaded her not to join the civil service, but to enter politics. Mayawati chose to remain unmarried. She is also known as Iron Lady.

Kanshi Ram praised Mayawati at her 47th birthday celebrations for her fundraising activities on behalf of the party. He stated that the party's eventual goal is to gain power at the national level, and that Mayawati's efforts had helped in that quest. She was at number 20 in the I-T department's compilation of the top 200 taxpayers' list with names like Shah Rukh Khan and Sachin Tendulkar. Mayawati paid in advance tax in April–December 2007. She paid on other incomes, most of which was declared by her as "gifts" by party members.

When BSP workers garlanded Mayawati with currency notes on the occasion of the party's silver jubilee celebrations coinciding with BSP founder Kanshi Ram's birth anniversary on 15 March 2010, Indian news channels and newspapers purported to expose the event as a ‘scandal’ on the presumption that the Chief Minister had publicly committed an act of corruption that was being flaunted openly and declaring that the garland of currency notes was made from money through corrupt means and not from donations of Bahujan Samaj Party supporters as Mayawati, her Ministers and supporters claimed.

At Kanshi Ram's funeral ceremonies in 2006, Mayawati stated that both Kanshi Ram and herself had been, and she would continue to be, observant of Buddhist traditions and customs. She has stated her intention to formally convert to Buddhism when the political conditions enable her to become Prime Minister of India. Her act of performing the last rites (traditionally done by a male heir) was an expression of their views against gender discrimination. Mayawati was also honoured with Rajarshi Shahu Award by Rajarshi Shahu Memorial Trust. In 2008, Forbes added Mayawati in the 59th place on its list of the 100 most powerful women in the world. She appeared in Newsweeks top woman achievers list in 2007. In 2009 a Newsweek article described her as the Barack Obama of India, and a potential candidate for Prime Minister. Time magazine included Mayawati in India's 15 Most Influential list for 2007.

References

External links

Official biodata
Bahujan Samaj Party