The doors of the Bahujan Samaj Prerna Kendra, hailed as a ‘‘temple for dalits’’ by the party leaders, were finally opened for the BSP workers today. The former chief minister and party chief Mayawati inaugurated the multi-crore centre.The ceremony was performed according to Buddhist traditions, after which came an elaborate photo session.Mayawati’s entire family — her parents, three brothers, their wives and children — were present on the occasion.The 105-feet tall pyramid-like structure made of red sandstone with marble lattice work is spread across 2,450 square metres.In the centre are three larger-than-life bronze statues of B R Ambedkar, Kanshi Ram and Mayawati.Statues of other backward caste icons — Jyotiba Phule, Shahuji Maharaj, E V Ramaswamy Naicker and Sreenarayan Guru — find a place of pride in the centre.Two huge murals of the Ambedkar Memorial and the Parivartan Chowk in Lucknow adorn one side. On the other, are placed three murals showing Mayawati being sworn-in as UP chief minister in 1995, 1997 and in 2002.All the statues and murals have been crafted by the acclaimed sculptor Ram Prasad. The centre also has a huge library, where books written by Ambedkar and other Dalit icons will be kept for ready reference.Two marble plaques in Hindi and English carry excerpts from the will of Kanshi Ram and partly explain the reasons behind creation of the Prerna Kendra.In his will, Kanshi Ram has desired that after his death, his ashes should be divided into two portions and preserved in prerna kendras in Lucknow and Delhi.He has directed that after Mayawati’s death, her ashes should also be preserved in a similar manner.Mayawati’s will, which was also displayed on the plaque, claimed that the Prena Kendra is a building which can overshadow Lucknow’s Raj Bhawan.‘‘Yeh kendra age chal kar Bahujan Samaj ki Prena Ka Srot Rahega (This centre will continue to be a source of inspiration for the Bahujan samaj),’’ it proclaimed.While the BSP’s central unit has spent around Rs 3 crore on the centre, Mayawati also showed her magnamity when she rewarded six Buddisht monks who performed the puja.The head priest got Rs 1 lakh in cash, the five others received Rs 50,000, along with baskets of fruits and an umbrella.‘Uppper caste votes to help form govt’LUCKNOW: Mayawati said on Thursday her party’s attempts to woo the upper castes, particularly Brahmins, was aimed at increasing its vote share in UP and forming a majority government.‘‘While the support of the Bahujan Samaj has been constantly rising, members of the upper castes have also abandoned their manuwadi mindset and started understanding the BSP’s philosophy for creation of an egalitarian society,’’ she said.
