Mayawati poses under the statues of Dalit icons B R Ambedkar (centre) , Kanshi Ram and of herself after inaugurating the Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal park in Noida on the outskirts of New Delhi yesterday
IANS/Noida

With rose petals, prayers and thousands of people looking on, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati yesterday inaugurated a Rs6.84bn park dedicated to the Dalit cause in this satellite town adjoining the national capital.
With statues of 24 elephants, the symbol of her Bahujan Samaj Party, and of Dalit icons B R Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram and of herself, the 82-acre Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal and Green Garden has been a subject of massive controversy.
Thousands of people had gathered since morning to watch Mayawati inaugurate the park on the outskirts of New Delhi, with many political observers saying that it was a move aimed at the assembly elections next year.
Unmindful of the criticism that she has received for the park with some describing it as monumental folly, Mayawati touched down in a helicopter at 4.50pm in the Film City in Noida.
As TV cameras captured the moment, a beaming Mayawati went around the premises. Buddhist monks chanted prayers. Unusually, her parents Ramrati and father Prabhu Dass were with her.
Traffic in and around Noida came to a standstill. Police officials said they had a tough time in controlling the surging crowds.
Meanwhile, the Congress yesterday Mayawati with “wasting public money on grandiose projects” instead of providing basic needs like health, education and irrigation to the people.
The Congress statement was in reaction to Mayawati inaugurating the Rs6.84bn park.
“The BSP government has been spending public money on non-essential things when the state has worst indices of infant mortality and education,” Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari told NDTV news channel. “It is evident there is a sense of outrage among the people of UP against the developmental priorities of Chief Minister Mayawati.”
Tewari said the litmus test of the Bahujan Samaj Party government will be held in April-May 2012 when the assembly elections are held. “That would be the time to take a call on how popular or unpopular the Mayawati government is,” said Tewari. “I think the people of UP are wise enough to look at such misuse of public money.”
The Congress spokesperson said the party will make misuse of public money an issue in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. Another Congress spokesperson Renuka Chowdary said “money spent on the Ambedkar memorial should have been diverted to schools, hospitals, safety for women, farmers”.
“Mayawati’s priority is herself. It is not about the Dalit icon, but about missed priorities,” said Chowdary. “It is nothing but wastage of money. If Rs70bn was used for development of poor people or for the country it was worth it,” said Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi.