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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati may be under fire after the murder of an engineer who allegedly refused donation to her party, the BSP, her supporters in West Bengal have not only sent in Rs 25 lakh in donation but also cut a huge cake on her birthday on Thursday, something she could not do at home in Lucknow this year for the fear of adverse publicity.
Around 20,000 of her party members in West Bengal - where BSP is still a fledgling entity - had set a target of Rs 50 lakh in donation of which they have already sent Rs 25 lakh to the party office in Delhi.
BSP central leadership had sent coupons worth Rs 1 crore to the state unit, asking it to raise an equal amount.
The BSP celebrates Mayawati’s birthday as “Arthik Sahayata Divas” when all state units are asked to raise funds and send it to the party office in Delhi.
BSP activists have been going to individuals with these coupons and requesting them to contribute to the party fund. “We do not believe in coercion. We just request people and we are getting a great response. Sometimes people contribute Rs 10 and we accept that too. But in any case, we take down the donor’s name. We are sure we will be able to send the remaining Rs 25 lakh to the central leadership in this month only. We will have to send the unsold coupons back,” BSP state president Manoj Haoladar told The Indian Express.
The state BSP unit, which has its headquarters at Sodepur in North 24 Parganas, on Thursday celebrated the Dalit leader’s birthday with great fanfare, something in stark contrast to celebrations in UP where Mayawati had wanted it to be low-key.
BSP workers organized cycle rallies, cut cakes, held symposiums and seminars. The morning celebration was attended by Naresh Arya, member of UP Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Commission and the BSP leader in charge of West Bengal.
The coupons, which have a signed appeal from Mayawati, are of the denominations of Rs 100, Rs 200, Rs 500 and Rs 1000.
“Usually, central leaders do not print coupons of Rs 100. But given our capacity, we told them to send us some coupons of Rs 100,” said Haoladar, who has been state unit president since 1987.
According to a local BSP leader, even people from CPM and Trinamool Congress bought their coupons. “I won’t tell you names. But there are many CPM and Trinamool leaders who bought our coupons,” Joydev Biswas, the BSP’s Madhyamgram unit chairman told Indian Express, adding that Mayawati would become the prime minister of the country one day.
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Hi Joydeb ,have you got a roof over your head ? are you still sleeping under the "Flyover " the recent "project Of the GOV? "Try to be realistic. In WEST BENGAL you dare to show your face in solidarity with BSP? Do some "sSocial Work " and look after the Immigrants from "Bangladesh." ,Better still if you have nothing to do then "Be a lolly POP Man helping people to cross the "ROAD". Good Luck.