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While sympathy for Dr Y S Sachan’s family is understandable,the political parties seemed to be competing with one another in consoling the bereaved family. Dr Sachan was a kurmi,which is the second-largest OBC community after the Yadavs. The SP deputed Rakesh Sachan,party MP from Fatehpur,to visit the family which he knew already. The next day,the BJP’s kurmi faces Vinay Katiyar and Ram Kumar Verma visited the Sachans,along with former party president Rajnath Singh. Then came the news that the Congress’s kurmi leader Beni Prasad Verma would be coming down from Delhi,although state Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi had already visited the family. The SP pressed the panic button and Akhilesh Yadav himself drove to Jankipuram. The Congress went a step ahead the next day,and sent P L Punia,Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes,which also looks into atrocities on OBCs.

IIT power

In its attempt to sort out the mess in the Health and Family Weflare Department,the government seems to have relied on three IITians. Sanjay Agarwal,Principal Secretary of Medical,Health and Family Welfare; Secretary Mritunjay Narayan and Director (Administration) in the Health Department Himanshu Kumar. All are IITians from Kanpur. While Mritunjay and Himanshu Kumar were posted after the murder of CMO Dr BP Singh in April,Sanjay Agarwal was made principal secretary early this month,replacing Nita Chowdhury. There are,in all,about 20 IIT-Kanpur alumni in the services. The list includes Lucknow District Magistrate Anil Sagar.

Saffron vs saffron

The RSS has fielded Uma Bharti to revive the sagging fortunes of the BJP ahead of the 2012 Assembly elections. The other important task assigned to her is to free Gorakhpur and adjacent eastern UP districts from the stranglehold of Yogi Adityanath,party MP from Gorakhpur,and his Guru Mahant Avaidyanath. Both are champions of Hindutva,but their roots are not in the RSS. The Sangh had co-opted Mahant Avaidyanath during the days of the Ayodhya movement. By virtue of their control over the Goraksh Nath temple,they wield considerable clout in eastern UP and are not dependent on the RSS for their political survival. In fact,they have been dictating terms to the Sangh Parivar for the last two decades. In all Lok Sabha and Assembly elections since 1989,the Guru and Chela have been deciding the BJP candidates in the region. The sanyasin from MP is expected to cut them to size.

Illegal occupation

Although he was elected MP two years ago,BJP leader Lalji Tandon has not vacated the government house that was allotted to him as an MLA. His occupancy of the house was declared “unauthorised” and Tandon has to pay a penal rent at the rate of Rs 50 per square metre,which comes to about Rs 20,000 per month. Sources in the government said Tandon may not be evicted any time soon. Assembly elections are drawing closer and who knows what surprise they will throw up. Also,Tandon is rakhi brother of Chief Minister Mayawati.