Mayawati has a treasure trove of gold, jewels, but no car

Uttar Pradesh (UP) chief minister (CM) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati has a virtual treasure trove of jewellery, gold and diamonds. But she doesn’t own a car.

The interesting fact emerged from her own declaration of assets along with the nomination she filed on Wednesday for the UP legislative council election.

As per the affidavit, Mayawati’s assets total up to Rs86 crore, which is an impressive Rs34-crore increase from her last declaration of Rs52 crore in 2007.

The steep rise in her assets, including valuable landed property in Lucknow and Delhi, invited scathing criticism from opposition leaders. The declaration could also bring more trouble for Mayawati who is already facing charges of amassing wealth in a disproportionate assets case CBI and the income tax department are pursuing.

The most impressive property Mayawati owns is her new, sprawling bungalow under construction on Sardar Patel Marg in New Delhi. This asset alone accounts for about Rs54.08 crore. Mayawati owns a huge bungalow in Lucknow, too, which is worth Rs1.8 crore.

The chief minister has Rs12.95 lakh in cash and Rs11.39 crore in banks. The Dalit icon seems to have a weakness for the golden metal and sparkling stones. Her coffers boast ample gold which touched a new high of Rs18,800 for 10 grams on Wednesday.

The 1.034 kg of gold that she owns is worth a little less than Rs2 crore at this rate. She also owns jewellery worth Rs1 crore and diamonds worth Rs86.8 lakh.

The BSP chief also loves to live it up in style. That could be one reason silver dinner sets worth Rs4.4 lakh adorn her dining hall. She also owns paintings and antiques worth Rs15 lakh.

Mayawati seems to have invested her money wisely as she is owner of several prime commercial properties.

A commercial centre at Okhla Industrial Estate, New Delhi, is alone worth Rs15.5 crore. She has a shop in Connaught Place worth Rs1.27 crore and one in Bhikaji Cama Place worth Rs2.05 crore.

“Her declaration is a sham… she must have made no less than Rs300 crore in her last three years as UP CM,” Samajwadi Party spokesman Mohan Singh told reporters in Lucknow. “Her lone target in life is to make money,” he remarked.

UP Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi said Mayawati’s net worth would be in the region of forty to fifty thousand crore. “She is the most corrupt CM UP has ever seen… there is corruption in everything… government contracts, transfers, postings… you name it and you can get a deal here,” she said.