Maya sees caste in b’day bumps

Putting herself on the same pedestal as Jawaharlal Nehru, S. Radhakrishnan and Charan Singh, UP CM Mayawati today reiterated that she had, indeed, spent Rs 70 lakh from state contingency funds to celebrate her birthday, but as Swabhiman Diwas. She also gave the controversy a Dalit angle, saying the protests were solely motivated by her caste.

‘‘It was a Swabhiman Diwas for all the depressed classes, the Dalits, OBCs, backward classes. And money was spent on exhibitions and films from the state contingency fund with the approval of the UP Assembly,’’ Mayawati said. She said the criticism against her huge birthday celebrations on January 16 this year was a Manuvadi (upper-caste) reaction to a Dalit daughter being felicitated.

‘‘No one thought of raising any questions when Jawaharlal Nehru’s birthday was celebrated as Bal Diwas, Radhakrishnan’s as Shikshak Diwas and Charan Singh’s birthday as Kisan Diwas. But when a Dalit daughter’s birthday is celebrated as Swabhiman Diwas, highlighting her achievements and development works for the Dalit, everyone has problems,’’ she argued.

In town for a Planning Commission meeting, the CM however refused to comment on the latest videotape controversy involving her government.