Lucknownama

Ever since Digvijay Singh,AICC general secretary in charge of UP,made the remarks on Hemant Karkare,a section of Congressmen had been gunning for him.

Reconciled
Ever since Digvijay Singh,AICC general secretary in charge of UP,made the remarks on Hemant Karkare,a section of Congressmen had been gunning for him. What encouraged them were the statements of Congress spokesmen which gave the impression that the party did not agree with Singh. Jagdambika Pal,MP from Domariyaganj,denounced Singh,saying his statement will help Pakistan. But the Wikileaks disclosure of Rahul Gandhis statement,reportedly made to the US ambassador,that Hindu extremism is a greater threat than Muslim militancy,has punctured the plans of Singhs enemies. Now they know why Singh made those statements against the RSS. They are now reconciled to Digvijay staying on. Next year,Kerala and West Bengal,both of which have substantial Muslim population,will have elections. In 2012,Uttar Pradesh,which too has a large Muslim population,will go to the polls. In all these states,an RSS-baiter will have his utility.

At a loose end
The Sefai festival has begun,almost unnoticed. With Amar Singh out of the Samajwadi Party,there have been no star performers so far,although the SP leadership is said to be trying to get a few before the festival ends on December 29. Among the invitees at the inauguration on December 16 was Akhand Pratap Singh,who was Chief Secretary during the Mulayam Singh Yadav government in 2003. Singh was one of the three most corrupt officers who were selected by the UP IAS Association in 1996 through a secret ballot. Later,he was arrested by the CBI and sent to jail for possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. That put paid to the SPs plan to field him in last years Lok Sabha election from Faizabad. Now,SP is planning to field his daughter Juhi Singh from Lucknow (West) assembly constituency in the 2012 Assembly elections.

At odds
Until Chief Minister Mayawati tasked Satish Chandra Mishra to conduct on-the-spot assessment of the progress of development works across the state,Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh used to conduct reviews at the secretariat in Lucknow. Now Mishra is visiting various towns,accompanied by a clutch of senior officers who include PWD Principal Secretary Ravindra Singh,Urban Development Principal Secretary Alok Ranjan,and Principal Secretary to Chief Minister R P Singh. Before visiting a project,he usually does his homework well. At some places,Mishra reportedly remarked that officers had not submitted factual reports to the Cabinet Secretary about the progress of the project. Since Mishra and Singh are rival power centres in the present regime,officials wonder whether Mishra was merely raising a question about the reviews conducted in secretariat chambers.

Foot in mouth
Before the BJP launched its ambitious Gaon Chalo Abhiyaan to correct the partys urban-centric image,different party spokesmen said different things about the campaign. One said party leaders would not only visit villages,but also stay there for a night. When none of the BJP leaders actually stayed in villages,it was highlighted in sections of media as the leaders disinclination to put up with the attendant discomfort. The BJP leaders are complaining that night halt in villages was never part of the programme,as approved by the state leadership. But the BJP has itself to blame. It has too many spokespersons shooting their mouth off,whatever the occasion or subject.

Reshuffle hiccups
Last week saw the return of Neeta Choudhari as Principal Secretary of Health. Choudhari,a no-nonsense officer,was moved out about a year ago reportedly on Health Minister Anant Mishras request. Since it is unlikely that Mishra wanted her back,he could not be happy with Choudharis return. Pradeep Shukla,whom Choudhari succeeds,now retains only family welfare. The arrangement suits both Shukla and his minister Babu Singh Kushwaha. For Kushwaha,the good thing is he retains an officer who knows how to keep his minister happy. For Shukla,the good thing is that he is no longer caught between two ministers who often did not see eye to eye.

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