Mayawati defends splurge on statues after Supreme Court rap, says the massive figures bring revenue to UP

After the Supreme Court said that Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati has to pay back the public money spent on her statue and elephants, the BSP chief on Saturday defended her statue splurge. 

Mayawati has defended the massive figures saying that the statues bring the state revenue as they are a tourist attraction in the UP.

She also blamed the media saying it distorted the oral observation of the apex court. 

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Posting tweets on the micro-blogging platform Twitter a day after SC's prima facie view, she said:

The apex court was replying to the hearing of a plea seeking direction to restrain her from spending public money on building statues.

It said, "This is our tentative view. Mayawati should reimburse the public exchequer all the amounts spent for these elephants. Supreme Court fixes April 2 for the final hearing of  PIL questioning the money spent on the elephant statues in the Noida," said the Supreme Court bench comprising justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjeev Khanna led by CJI."

A large number of statues depicting BSP supremo Mayawati, her mentor Kanshi Ram, and the party's elephant symbol, had come under the scanner.

In Noida, the Dalit Prerna Sthal and Green Garden were constructed on 33 acres of land. Estimates suggest that each statue of Kanshi Ram and Mayawati cost Rs 6.65 crores. Each elephant statue costs more than Rs 70 lakh. 

Earlier, the economic offences wing of the state's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) attempted to figure out who benefited from the alleged swindle. 130 statues of huge elephants, were placed in parks in Noida and Lucknow during Mayawati's tenure. Her party's symbol is the elephant.

READ | Mayawati Has To Pay Back Money Spent On Elephant Statues, Says CJI Ranjan Gogoi-led SC Bench