Lucknownama

Special treatment

Minister Azam Khan is getting special treatment by Samajwadi Party (SP) president Mulayam Singh Yadav. Earlier during Azamgarh rally,Mulayam asked CM Akhilesh Yadav to speak before Azam defying the protocol. The same feat was repeated at Mainpuri rally when Azam’s name was announced by Ramgopal Yadav as the next speaker and he had left his chair. However,persuaded Azam to sit and let him speak first. Akhilesh even asked Ramgopal to announce that he will speak before Azam which was done.

Tea-totaller

When Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya became minister in 2012,he got a tea vending machine installed in Samajwadi Party (SP) office. The ingredients were also supplied by him every month for uninterrupted supply of tea. Later,he lost his ministerial position and the supply snapped. However,party workers thought Rajendra Choudhary who is mostly present at party office and has been appointed as minister in his place will ensure the supply for the machine. It never happened. The day,Raja Bhaiyya was reappointed as minister,his staff again reached SP office with the supplies and requested to run the machine as earlier.

United hand

Having failed to gather decent crowds in the last four rallies in UP despite Rahul Gandhi’s presence,Congress seems to have made November 21 protest against the state in Lucknow an issue of personal prestige. For the first time senior party leaders have been given task to motivate workers. They are organising meetings in different districts to motivate workers to bring people in large numbers for the protest rally. Also,state president Nirmal Khatri,MPs and MLAs have been asked to ensure success of this protest. Congress leaders admit that after a long time,party seems to have united all its wings to ensure success of a programme in Uttar Pradesh.

Look before you leap

BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in his speech in Bahraich rally said there was a competition going on between the SP and BSP to induct criminals. Modi was probably not aware that barely five hours before his address,BJP had inducted Pratik Bhushan Singh,son of Samajwadi Party MP and mafia-turned-politician Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh from Kaiserganj. Prateek took BJP membership at a private place in Bahraich where party state president was staying. Pratik joining made it clear that Brij Bhushan will also join the party in coming days. Pratik who himself was reportedly arrested in Rajasthan’s Barmer in March 2011 allegedly for carrying illegal arms,had put up hoardings around the rally ground,Kaiserganj and Bahraich district. He had also engaged buses and SUVs to ferry workers to the rally ground.

Thank you note

Minister of state for science and technology Abhishek Mishra,who was projected as an educated and modern face of Samajwadi Party,has really done wonders for his constituency,Lucknow North. Local residents who are regularly stuck in traffic jam at Chowk were amused when a hoarding was erected at main Chowk crossing in his constituency Lucknow North expressing gratitude to Mishra for his achievement. The achievement was also no less,getting a traffic police constable posted for clearing traffic jam.