Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati is unable to understand why she is under fire from various quarters for installing her own statues.
"What's wrong if I install my own statues together with those of my party icons whose contribution as great social reformers remained unrecognised for decades because of the sick caste bias of those who were in power?" she asked the crowd which converged at her party rally here Monday.
The rally was organised to mark the party's silver jubilee celebrations, and coincided with the 76th birth anniversary of party founder and her political mentor Kanshi Ram.
She said: "My critics often argue that it is inappropriate to install statues of a living person, but I wish to ask them if there is any law disallowing installation of statues of important personalities?"
"Where is the law preventing official expenditure on statues of living personalities?" she said, defending her actions of spending billions of rupees on statues and memorials.
"Remember, what I have spent on memorials and statues was only one per cent of the state's annual budget, but what I have built is going to be there for posterity."
"I firmly believe that those who are unable to create history are always pushed into oblivion. That is why it was important to leave such imprints that will stay for all times to come," Mayawati said.