'Delhi chalo' is BSP's new slogan

LUCKNOW: Chief Minister Mayawati, on completion of 100 days in office, hinted that capturing power in New Delhi is the next big target of the Bahujan Samaj Party.

Addressing a function organised to mark her government’s 100 days in power, she announced that a grand memorial, museum and public rest house would be built in the state capital in memory of her mentor and BSP founder Kanshi Ram.

“And when we capture power at the Centre we would build a grand Kanshi Ram memorial in the national capital also,” she said. Ms Mayawati said a huge auditorium would also be built in Lucknow to hold big seminars and functions. She reiterated her government’s commitment towards more job creation for the youth, economic development, better law and order and an equitable society with opportunities for all sections of society.

“Immediately after taking over, my government has started working for the betterment of the state. My government’s policies would not remain on paper, but would reach out to the villages and the weakest sections of the society,” she said.

She said the private sector job reservation introduced by her has been a major historic step to provide job opportunities to the less privileged in the private sector. Also, agriculture development and investment policy would usher private investment and contract farming in the state for the betterment of the farmers, besides creating 1.40 crore new jobs, she said.

“We are aiming at doubling the growth rate of UP to 10% by the end of the 11th Five-Year Plan. My government has asked for a special grant of Rs 80,000 crore from the Centre under the Special Area Incentive Package, which is being provided to the hill states like Uttarakhand right now. This is meant for the comprehensive and speedy development of the state, especially Bundelkhand and Purvanchal regions,” she said in her speech.

Ms Mayawati also said the Centre and the World Bank have also approved Rs 15,000-crore loan for the state.
The chief minister said with electricity being the major impediment for growth, the government has set a target of additional power generation of 12,000 MW by 2012. “Within three months of my government’s formation, we have already approved and firmed up proposals to generate 7,000 MW of electricity,” she said.

She announced that an ambitious eight-lane Taj Expressway from Greater Noida to Agra and a Ganga Link Expressway from Greater Noida to Gazipur would also be built. She said within a week of taking over as the CM she ordered the constitution of the Civil Services Board to streamline transfers of IAS, IPS, PCS and PPS officials to end possibilities of corruption in transfers and postings.

Ms Mayawati said the special drive to register FIRs that were not lodged by the police during the previous regime has yielded good results, and FIRs have been lodged against about 7,000 people. The formation of the elite Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe economic and other big offences has brought mafia gangs operating in the state to book.

“The dreaded brigand Dadua was killed by the STF police, and many other mafia gangs have either been thrown behind bars or have fled the state,” she said. She also felicitated the STF personnel and officers involved in the operation against Dadua’s gang.