Date:04/07/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/07/04/stories/2009070455871001.htm

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Memorials & statues

This refers to the editorial “Symbols over substance?” (July 3) on the Supreme Court’s notice to the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh for its spending on memorials and statues. Ms Mayawati has put up many memorials and statues for Dalit leaders and work on many more is on. But who stands to gain from them?

For most Dalit children, proper education is a farfetched dream even today. There are a host of memorials and statues in Uttar Pradesh but the living condition of Dalits is pitiable.

Shadab Husain,

Lucknow

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What public purpose is served by putting up innumerable statues of leaders, that too in a BIMARU State which is abysmally low in the human development index, is beyond comprehension. Instead of improving the conditions of the poor, Ms Mayawati seems to be thrusting her memory on people’s psyche. One does not have to be her political opponent to deprecate this trend.

J. Seshagiri,

Mysore