Lucknownama

Congress criticises,but BSP inert

On their visit to the state last week,Congress president Sonia Gandhi and son Rahul were again unsparing in their criticism of the Mayawati government. Strangely,however,for the first time there has been no rebuttal coming from the BSP. Even BSP state president Swami Prasad Maurya,who dutifully sends rejoinders after every such attack,has been silent. Apparently,Mayawati has told her party leaders that they need not react to every utterance of Sonia and Rahul. Further,they have been reportedly told that when they have to respond,they should avoid naming Sonia and Rahul. On Saturday,when the party organised protests against the UPA government’s “misrule”,BSP leaders in their speeches referred to Sonia and Rahul as “Congress ke kuchh jimmewar neta (some responsible leaders of the Congress)”. It seems Mayawati has realised that reacting to every statement of Sonia and Rahul creates an impression that the BSP feels threatened by their visits. Also,it ensured wider publicity for Sonia and Rahul.

Rahul’s prose,Congmen’s poetry

Rahul Gandhi may criticise the politics of caste and religion,but some Congressmen don’t seem to learn. First,AICC general secretary Digivjay Singh was seen at a function of the Kshatriya community. Then party secretary Rajiv Shukla was seen at a Parshuram Jayanti programme. Congress chief spokesperson Subodh Srivastav and some others also attended a Kayastha sammelan. Congressmen always find some excuse for attending such events with the standard explanation being: “We don’t organise these events,but we can’t say ‘no’ if invited”. Invariably,the posters,banners and advertisements of such programmes carry the photos of these leaders.

Law and disorder

Mayawati may claim her government is determined to maintain law and order,but for the last five days,Chief Engineer Anand Mohan Prasad has been waiting for the registration of an FIR. In a complaint to the SP of Balia,Prasad had alleged that BSP MLA Subhash threatened him,following which the MLA’s brother ransacked his house because he refused to cancel some tenders and award those to the latter. The police say it would conduct an inquiry before lodging an FIR. It reminds one of a similar incident last year. Unable to withstand the bullying and threats of BSP MLA B R Ambedkar,an engineer had offered to quit his job. Instead of taking action against the MLA,the government worked overtime to arrange for a ‘compromise’. The Engineer association says that Prasad too is now under pressure for a patch-up.

Housed in uncertified house?

The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) regularly issues notices to high-rise buildings for their failure to obtain the completion certificate. But,has the LDA obtained the completion certificate for the multi-storey building which houses its head office in Gomti Nagar? The matter was raised by “a public representative” at a meeting of the LDA board last week. When vice-chairman Mukesh Kumar Meshram raised the issue at the meet,the officials looked embarrassed. The completion certificate is issued by the LDA after fire,water and power utilities issue no-objection certificates and the relevant section of the LDA confirms that the building design and structure conform to regulations. It is meant to ensure that the building is safe for habitation and use. Is the LDA building unsafe? Or nobody applied for the certificate,thinking that rules do not apply to LDA?

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