Mulayam Singh, a former chief minister of the state, also flayed Mayawati for pulling down the Lucknow jail complex to expand Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) founder Kanshi Ram's memorial already erected on a sprawling 25-acre plot of land also belonging to the jail. The Rs.750 crore memorial will soon have an adjoining 50-acre Kanshi Ram Eco Park.

Justifying his intention to pull down Mayawati's memorials, Mulayam Singh noted that the statue of well known socialist parliamentarian Ram Manohar Lohia had been razed by the Mayawati administration.

'It is clearly visible how the taxpayer's money has been misused for building memorials after a particular set of select leaders, as if to say that they were the only ones to merit that kind of recognition and respect,' he said.

Questioning Mayawati's fad for eulogising her political icons through statues and memorials, he asked: 'Are they the only ones who have made some contribution to the nation?'