Kalyan govt paints Lucknow saffron

LUCKNOW, JUNE 24: In six months, the Mayawati Government managed to change the colour of Lucknow's government buildings and road dividers in...

LUCKNOW, JUNE 24: In six months, the Mayawati Government managed to change the colour of Lucknow’s government buildings and road dividers into blue. Now the Kalyan Singh Government is erasing the BSP legacy and painting the city saffron.

Though it means lakhs of rupees down the drain, the state urban development department, headed by Lalji Tandon, has issued an order saying that all important crossings and buildings on the main routes in the Prime Minister’s constituency should be painted in saffron. The work has already been started and is likely to be finished by the first week of July when the Prime Minister is scheduled to visit the state capital.

An observatory at Chowk which was named after the BSP icon Jyotiba Phule and was painted in blue is now wearing saffron. Buildings, dividers and railings on the way to La Place colony, where the Prime Minister has an allotted house, are now sporting the BJP colour.

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Ironically, this mindless expenditure comes at a time when the constituency is crying forbasic amenities like water and power. Many parts of the city remain without power and water supply for many hours every day.

BSP general secretary D P Bora said the Kalyan Government is trying to remove BSP symbols wherever possible. He added that the Dalit party has made inroads in the hearts of its support base and by removing colours political perception of the people would not change.

“Had the BJP Government been serious in ensuring better facilities to the people it would have not repeated the mistake of Mayawati who wasted crores on development of parks in the names of party ideologues and colouring the state capital with blue,” said Samajwadi Party MLA Awdesh Parasad. Urban Development Minister Lalji Tandon was not available for comment.

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