Samajwadi Party (SP) on Monday flayed the sporting extravaganza of Formula One in Greater Noida saying such event in a poverty-ridden country like India was akin to a crude joke to the poor.
SP, which is the principal opposition party in Uttar Pradesh, also slammed Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati for witnessing the event in person and giving away the prizes.
In a press communiqué, party’s state spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said Mayawati’s keen interest in Formula One was an insult to the dalits, which she claims to represent.
He asserted that about Rs 2,000 crore were spent on the Formula One race, while 80 per cent of India’s population continued to eke out a living on Rs 20 per day. Chaudhary slammed her for treating the poor and dalits as mere vote banks on the one hand and making use of Formula One for befriending the capitalists for personal gains.