Learning Self Glorification

Emulating the leader is not a new phenomenon but to the extent of self-glorification is rare.

There is altleast one soldier of the blue-brigade who had vowed to follow his leader (read Mayawati) by getting his statue built and erected during his life time.

A BSP worker and listed criminal of Bhadohi in Sant Ravidas Nagar, Jagannath Prasad Bind aka Khunti, is the person who wanted to get immortalised by getting his own statue installed on the lines of party chief Mayawati.

Khunti had 30 criminal cases registered against him and even Gangster Act and Goonda Act had also been invoked against him.

Stepping into the shoes of his leader, an ambitious Jagannath got his own statue built dittoing the posture of Mayawati with an extended palm while waving to her supporters during BSP rallies.

Sculptor of this statue Jai Prakash Bind is also a local BSP leader in Bhadohi who had bagged three more similar orders from the blue brigade workers.

However, Jagannath’s statue is neatly placed at his house in Rampur Basanhi village under Koirauna police station and he is eagerly awaiting the unveiling ceremony followed by a ‘panchayati bhoj’ (community feast) which is likely to take place next month. Some senior BSP leaders of the district were also invited to the function.

Speaking over mobile phone from his village, Jagannath told, "I have requested Education Minister Rang Nath Mishra and newly-elected Bhadohi MP Gorakh Nath Pandey to unveil my statue. But now it is getting late as people from neighbouring villages have already started visiting my house to see the statue."

Incidentally, Chief Minister Mayawati recently unveiled six of her own statues in state capital this month. As per state government figures, it has spent Rs 3.49 crore on Mayawati’s eight statues at five memorials coming up in the state capital.
It spent another Rs 3.37 crore on seven statues of BSP founder Kanshi Ram.

The largest statue of Mayawati and Kanshi Ram have already been installed by the government at Bhimrao Ambedkar Samajaik Parivartan Sthal in the state capital. The two 24-ft high bronze statues cost Rs1.55 crore each.

But Jagannath was confident of his connections in the party and did not find his tainted past a hindrance in his plans.

"Right from 1980 when I was elected gram pradhan of my village, I am being implicated in false cases by influential persons in area who can not see Dalits being empowered", he said.

"The party leaders know that I am not a criminal but a victim of local politics, so I don’t see any reason that they will not oblige me by unveiling my statue," he added.

Jagannath, who claims to have shunned the ways of crime long ago, says, "I just wish to be remembered by people after my death. How can such an aspiration be wrong?" he questioned.