Mayawati's assets rise from Rs 52 crore to Rs 87 crore in 3 yrs

LUCKNOW: She came to power on the call of 'sarvajan hitaye' (for the benefit of all). But, in three years as Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Mayawati has proved that, rhetoric aside, she has industriously ensured her own benefits.

The BSP chief, who loudly claims to represent the poorest of the state's poor Dalits, keeps getting richer. Her net worth at present is more than Rs 87 crore, a gain of at least Rs 35 crore over her 2007 declaration of Rs 52 crore. With more than 67% returns in three years, her performance could beat the best investment deals.

This came to light when Maya filed an affidavit along with her nomination papers for the Vidhan Parishad seat here on Wednesday, before principal secretary Pradeep Dubey, who is also the returning officer for the legislative council elections on June 10. The Dalit queen is yet again preferring a backdoor entry to the UP legislature as her current term in the upper house ends next month.

Her enrichment and her declaration of it comes as a snub to the opposition gunning for her on account of making money through accepting gifts. The gross display of money and the controversial gift of garlands woven out of currency notes to Mayawati at public rallies only strengthened the opposition's viewpoint.

The details of her assets are: Bank deposits worth Rs 11.39 crore and cash up to Rs 12.95 lakh. Her love of jewellery, too, is evident. She holds 1034.26 grams of gold (18 cts) and diamonds (380.17 cts) worth Rs 86.8 lakh. Besides, she has 18.5 kg of silverware worth Rs 4.44 lakh. The value of murals and other assets in her possession is said to be worth another Rs 15 lakh.

Besides these, Maya owns property, both commercial and residential, in Connaught Place, Okhla, and Sardar Patel Marg, in Delhi, besides land in Lucknow Cantonment area and elsewhere. Their cumulative cost is valued at around Rs 73 crore.