NEW DELHI: A days after the Supreme Court said that former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati should pay for the monuments and memorials build during her regime, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief on Saturday said that they were build to honour great men from the oppressed Dalit and OBCs.    


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These have become tourist spots, generating revenue for the government, she said in her defence after the SC ruling.


"Marvellous sthals/memorials/parks built to honour hitherto ignored great saints, gurus and great men born in deprived and oppressed Dalit and OBCs are new grand identity and tourist attraction of Uttar Pradesh, which gives regular income to the state government," the BSP chief said in series of tweets.



She also appealed to media not to distort the top court's observation made in this regard.


"Humble request to media, please don`t distort oral observation of court. Sure to get justice in this matter also. Media and BJP leaders please stop kite flying," Mayawati tweeted.



Her remarks have come a day after the Supreme Court said it was of the "tentative view" that she should reimburse the public exchequer the money spent on putting up statues of elephant in Lucknow and Noida.


Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on Friday, while hearing a plea seeking recovery of the amount spent on statues in memorial parks dedicated to BSP founder Kanshi Ram in UP, said, "this is our tentative view that Madam Mayawati reimburse the public exchequer all the money spent on these elephants".


The next hearing will be on April 2.


(With IANS inputs)