Mayawati146;s 145;generous146; aid raises eyebrows

Chief Minister Mayawati donated Rs 11 crore from the state Government8217;s contingency fund for flood victims during...

Chief Minister Mayawati donated Rs 11 crore from the state Government8217;s contingency fund for flood victims during her recent visit to Bihar. She also announced that a day8217;s salary of state8217;s bureaucrats 8212;which comes to around Rs 6.2 lakh 8212;has been deducted for relief.

There8217;s more. The office of the Director General of Police has directed police stations across the state to gather relief material worth Rs 5 lakh each for flood-hit Bihar. Three trucks full of relief material from Lucknow alone are already on their way to the neighbouring state. Undeterred by the Opposition8217;s criticism that the state Government was not providing relief to flood victims in the state, Mayawati carried out an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas of UP and Bihar, suspended a few senior state officials and announced that money should not be a hindrance in the relief operations.

Political analysts see more to Maya8217;s generosity for Bihar. 8220;Bihar has 40 Lok Sabha seats. This is an opportune time for any political party to build a base there,8221; said Uday Kumar, a senior political analyst.

The members of the ruling party, however, refuted the allegations. 8220;She is not merely the Chief Minister of this state, she is also a possible candidate for the country8217;s next prime minister,8221; said a senior BSP leader.

Party in-charge for Bihar, Gandhi Azad, said: 8220;It is a humane move keeping in view the natural calamity faced by Bihar. On her directives, the Bahujan Trust has put up relief camps everywhere.8221;

The BJP also praised Mayawati Government8217;s relief work for Bihar. 8220;It is a natural calamity and the state should extend whatever help it can,8221; said the BJP state president Ramapati Ram Tripathi.

Samajwadi Party leaders, however, have a different story to tell. According to them, SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav was the first among state politicians to visit Bihar.

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8220;The reason behind all this relief work is political. The BSP always had a tacit understanding with the BJP. While so many people are dying in her own state, the CM is concentrating on other states,8221; party spokesperson Rajendra Chowdhury said.