Mayawati ko gussa kyo aata hai?

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Mayawati is one of my favourite politicians. It's a Herculean task to build a political party from scratch. She along with her mentor Kanshi Ram has done that in style. So I salute her at the very outset. Why then I feel so agitated with her strong action against an IAS officer whose wife decided to organise a fashion show at their official residence?

Is it a crime if a group of women decided to let their hair down and feel a little liberated in otherwise suffocating environs of Lucknow.

Irrespective of which section of the society you come from, if you are a woman, you will not dare to venture out either in Hazratganj or Ameenabad on your own.

You could go to Not Just Jazz by the Bay in Bombay, a TGIF or any swanky mall in Delhi..but you cant go for a nice evening walk along the Gomti in Lucknow. So whats wrong if Mrs Hussein decided to let everyone have fun at her residence. Official unofficial be damned. Anyways, how many IAS officers are aware of rule 13 clause 2 that determines what you can and what you cant do at your official residence.

In Delhi, MPs often allow their friends to use the gigantic lawns for weddings, receptions or parties. At least the massive gardens are used to good effect. Mayawati herself organises these lavish parties on her birthdays, where the entire state machinery comes often in their official attire to present gifts and offer cakes to our beloved Behen ji. Shouldn't the question of moral propriety be posed to her as well?

The national media goes berserk whenever crazy Shiv Sainiks go on the rampage against celebration of Valentines Day.

Headlines cry: Moral policing not acceptable. Are Mayawati's actions not similar to Moral policing?

The culprit in question says that she had just organised a tea party for her friends, mostly wives of her IAS husbands' colleagues. That the fashion show was just a surprise element to spice up the evening. And if you did watch those images, you would know that it was a fashion show minus any glamour.

You weren't seeing the likes of John Abraham or Bipasha Basu sashaying down the ramp. It was just some women who wanted to live a few moments of liberation. They called it recreation of 19th century England. Well I wasn't born in the early half of the 19th century.

But since I am film buff my association with her Majesty's Kingdom is through the world of celluloid. Let me assure you, none of those clothes were ever worn by any of the gori memsaabs.

That brings me to my second point. What is Mayawati up to? She has created a flutter throughout the political fraternity by her spectacular victory in UP.

So much so that the Congress and the SP are even thinking of tying up together and fight Mayawati's might together, rather than take her on individually and get nothing in return. Tilak, taraazu aur talwaar, inko maaro jute chaar may have been replaced by Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh hai, haathi nahi Ganesh hai.

But have the ground realties in sprawling Uttar Pradesh changed in any way. Mayawati is happy to wield her danda against the corrupt cops, or tainted Bureaucrats. But does she have any long-term vision for the state.

Look at neighbouring Bihar. Nitish Kumar, the master of subtlety seems to be going about his job in a rather methodical way. He may not have built a party on his own, but he does have the rather difficult task of turning around a state, which had actually gone beyond redemption.

Maybe Behen Mayawati could borrow a leaf out of Nitish Kumar's book. She should focus more on uplifting the status of the poor and the down trodden, rather than venting her ire on a harmless fashion show.

If hundred of crores for Ambedkar's smaraks are fine, then how about a few hundred crores for better power supply, better roads and potable water. Is Mayawati interested in listening?