BJP accused me of wasting money on statues, now it must apologize: Mayawati

With the stronger political unity of Dalit organizations Mayawati has become the most sought after politician in India . Modi is still India’s most popular leader, although his standing in the electorate appears to be weakening Paying tributes to Sardar Patel, Mayawati said Patel, like Ambedkar, was a true nationalist and took pride in Indian culture and tradition. , She also said the BJP should not only apologize for defaming her but also tell people why it chose an English name, "Statue of Unity" Targeting the government, the Congress said that while Patel wanted institutions to be autonomous, the government is destroying them.

Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a 182-metre high statue of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, BSP chief Mayawati sought an apology from the BJP for its comments in the past against installation of statues of Dalit icons.

In a statement, the former Chief Minister said it was unfortunate that when she got parks, monuments and idols installed of B.R. Aambedkar and other Dalit icons, she was badgered by the RSS and BJP for splurging public money. She said the 182-metre statue of Patel has been built at a cost of around Rs 3,000 crore but when her government had built memorials and parks in Lucknow and Noida to honour B R Ambedkar and other great personalities born in Dalit and OBC families, BJP and RSS leaders had criticised the move by calling it ‘extravagance’.

She said the Bharatiya Janata Party should not only apologize for defaming her but also tell people why it chose an English name, "Statue of Unity", for Patel, who was every bit an Indian.

The English name made it clear how much of this event was devotion to Patel and how much was it a political game plan, she said.