No parks, monuments and statues, if elected in 2022 UP elections : Mayawati's promise

"We do not need to make any new monuments or parks in the name of those who were our guiding lights - we have already done it thok ke bhaav (wholesale) in our previous terms," Mayawati said explaining the reason behind the change, addressing a gathering in Lucknow, reported to NDTV.

"If I form the government again I will not concentrate on statues or memorials or parks but on governing the state to the best possible ability," she said drawing loudest cheers in her 30-minute speech.

This is not the first time that she has vowed to abstain from building ostentatious memorials dedicated to herself. She had made the same promise to voters before the last state elections in 2016.

The four-time chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Mayawati had commissioned parks and sprawling monuments with giant statues of herself, BSP founder Kanshi Ram and elephants (her party's symbol) in the name of "Dalit pride", the NDTV report stated.

According to the Lokayukta or anti-corruption ombudsman in Uttar Pradesh, her government spent Rs 1,400 crore of public money on memorials.

During her tenure, Mayawati had remained unfazed by accusations of megalomania and self-promotion, and continued with the extravagant projects.

In 2012, she lost the elections to rival Samajwadi Party of Akhilesh Yadav, and couldn't recover the lost ground since then with her party's performance consistently poor in state and national elections.

"When we form the government with an absolute majority in 2022, we will implement our policy of 'sarvajan hitaay sarva jan sukhaay (benefit for all, peace for all)' as we did in 2007. At the time, we did not just look after the interests of Dalits and backwards but also of those from the upper castes. Our party is not for one caste or religion... it is a party for all sections of society," said Mayawati, according to the report. 

The NDTV report said that today's meeting was the rechristened version of "Bramhin Sammelans" an outreach to Barmhin voters, her party started two months ago.

This is a formula that had bought BSP immense electoral success in the past. By cashing in on the support of the Brahmins, who are an estimated 11 per cent, she hopes to make some headway as they have traditionally played major roles in the politics and power equations in the state.