Mayawati threatens 'law and order' crisis if SP govt touches parks, Dalit memorials

April 14, 2012

Lucknow, April 14: In her first public appearance after losing assembly elections in March this year, Bahujan (BSP) supremo and former chief Uttar Pradesh (UP) chief minister Mayawati was in a combative mood on Saturday when she warned the newly elected Samajwadi Party (SP) government of serious consequences if it tried to alter, damage or construct any new structure in Dalit memorials and parks built during her regime.

Addressing the nearly 2000 crowd comprising BSP workers and leaders, after paying tribute to Dalit icon Babsaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar at Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal in Lucknow on his 121 birth anniversary, Mayawati threatened any attempt at destroying Dalit memorials or constructing anything else on the land attached to them would lead to law and order crisis not only in UP but all over the country. She said that the SP government should take a leaf from the previous BSP government's book, which did not touch any memorial or park built by any earlier government, including that of the Samajwadi Party in the name of ideologue and personalities of other castes and communities.

"Any act against the memorials can also put the SP government in jeopardy as Dalit memorials are an emotional and prestige issue for Dalits," she said.

Mayawati's statement on 'law and order problem', which many saw as an open threat of violent agitation, came soon after chief minister Akhilesh Yadav after meeting the Prime Minister in Delhi told mediapersons that people of the state have voted out those who used public money to build their own statutes and erect stone structures named after Dalits, which, however, did not benefit Dalits at all.

He reiterated that his government will not touch any statue at Dalit memorials. However, he said, the government can build hospitals for children and women on the huge chunk of land associated with the memorials but lying vacant. He said that in his view nobody would have any objection, if the vacant land is put to use of the public. He said that the people have given a clear mandate to the SP and his government will do what people want.

The move is being seen as Mayawati's attempt to keep her Dalit vote bank intact by creating a fear psychosis that SP government may harm Dalit memorials. She is also trying to provoke Dalits not to sit idle. Though Mayawati has been threatening a disturbance in law and order if Dalit memorials are touched for quite a while, her statement assumes importance now because cracks have appeared in her Dalit vote base in recent assembly elections as a section has voted for other parties.

In her address, she also tried to impress her vote bank by counting welfare schemes and public utility services such as construction of universities and hospitals in the name of Dalit icons implemented during her regime.

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Chaos continues as IndiGo cancels more flights including 73 from Bengaluru airport

News Network

December 4,2025

Domestic carrier IndiGo has cancelled over 180 flights from three major airports — Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru — on Thursday, December 4, as the airline struggles to secure the required crew to operate its flights in the wake of new flight-duty and rest-period norms for pilots.

While the number of cancellations at Mumbai airport stands at 86 (41 arrivals and 45 departures) for the day, at Bengaluru, 73 flights have been cancelled, including 41 arrivals, according to a PTI report that quoted sources.

"IndiGo cancelled over 180 flights on Thursday at three airports-Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru," the source told the news agency.

Besides, it had cancelled as many as 33 flights at Delhi airport for Thursday, the source said, adding, "The number of cancellations is expected to be higher by the end of the day."

The Gurugram-based airline's On-Time Performance (OTP) nosedived to 19.7 per cent at six key airports — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad — on December 3, as it struggled to get the required crew to operate its services, down from almost half of December 2, when it was 35 per cent.

"IndiGo has been facing acute crew shortage since the implementation of the second phase of the FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitations) norms, leading to cancellations and huge delays in its operations across the airports," a source had told PTI on Wednesday.

Chaos continued at several major airports for the third day on Thursday because of the cancellations.

A spokesperson for the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru said that 73 IndiGo flights had been cancelled on Thursday.

At least 150 flights were cancelled and dozens of others delayed on Wednesday, airport sources said, leaving thousands of travellers stranded, according to news agency Reuters.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has said it is investigating IndiGo flight disruptions and has asked the airline to submit the reasons for the current situation, as well as its plans to reduce flight cancellations and delays.

It may be mentioned here that the pilots' body, Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), has alleged that IndiGo, despite getting a two-year preparatory window before the full implementation of new flight duty and rest period norms for cockpit crew, "inexplicably" adopted a "hiring freeze".

The FIP said it has urged the safety regulator, the DGCA, not to approve airlines' seasonal flight schedules unless they have adequate staff to operate their services "safely and reliably" in accordance with the New Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms.

In a letter to the DGCA late on Wednesday, the FIP urged the DGCA to consider re-evaluating and reallocating slots to other airlines, which have the capacity to operate them without disruption during the peak holiday and fog season if IndiGo continues to "fail in delivering on its commitments to passengers due to its own avoidable staffing shortages."

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