THERE IS no limit to the exponential growth in Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati’s wealth. Just a couple of months ago she had declared her income to be Rs 52 crore and she has made the headlines again by paying Rs 14 crore as advance income tax for the year 2008-09.

Of the wealth declared the break up is like this: property worth Rs 37.82 crore, Rs 50.27 crore in cash, Rs 12.88 lakh in banks deposits, gold and diamond jewelry worth Rs 49.75 lakh, silverware costing Rs 1.12 lakh, and murals worth Rs 15 lakh (Source Economic Times 29/09/07).

Not bad for a woman from a lower middle class family whose father worked as a clerk. She herself was a teacher till she joined the mysterious wealth-generating career of politics.

Mayawati’s explanation for this huge amount of personal wealth is laughable. Her explanation is that her ordinary party workers have  “contributed” towards this build up. It seems, therefore, that ordinary party workers and “well wishers” have contributed so much of money and assets to Mayawati for no apparent reason but out of sheer love for their leader. Sounds interesting.

In all my years in India I have not heard of such a rapid build of assets for a person without any real profit making business.

Even before this declaration Mayawati was embroiled in a case of acquiring disproportionate assets, covering the period of 1995-2003. This was when her declared income was a paltry Rs 88.70 lakh. The interesting thing here is that the super sonic build up in Maya’s wealth has actually come after the filing of this case and that too in a very short period between 2004-2007.

This is a sad and shameful commentary on the way the democratically elected representatives of the people in this country flout all rules and spin webs of corruption with an amazing lack of fear and accountability.

The case is out there and so is the embarrassingly disproportionate amount of her personal wealth, but what is amazing is the lack of will power on the part of the concerned authorities to prosecute her and make her accountable for her deeds. How did she earn it? Who are the party workers and well wishers, who are so enamoured of their leader that they contribute so generously to her personal kitty Why are they contributing to her personal accounts and not to the party that she leads? Why are the other political parties silent?

The ruling party as well as opposition parties are actually all silent for a simple reason. With Maya’s recent success in UP elections and her clever “social engineering” in the state, she has brought fear to the corridors of power. With no single political party being able to capture a majority in the past elections, coalition politics is a reality in India now and no one knows this better than the key players on the political scene.

Buoyed by her Uttar Pradesh success, Mayawati is eyeing Maharashtra as the new laboratory for her brand of social engineering experiments. She also knows that the leaders in New Delhi are bound to come calling at her door when the next elections come around. The knowledge that she will call the shots in the formation of any future government is what makes Maya so brazen, even in the face of the allegations of corruption and misuse of power against her. No party can, at this moment, risk her ire by giving the green signal to the authorities to investigate her assets.

Furthermore, in Indian politics opening enquiry against another politician is done not to unearth the truth but merely for harassment. The war of allegations and counter allegations between Karunanidhi and Jayalalitha bear testimony to this fact. The clout and coffers of both continue to increase while they pull wool over the eyes of the public by posturing as the upholders of virtue and honesty.

I’m now looking forward to Mayawati’s next declaration of her wealth.