Lucknownama

Digvijay still going strong
Among those who accompanied Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his visit to Kanpur was Digvijay Singh — AICC general secretary in-charge of Congress affairs in Uttar Pradesh. Since the PM’s visit was not a political one,Singh’s presence in the entourage was a surprise. Congressmen are trying to decipher its meaning. For some time now,Singh’s detractors had been quietly lobbying for his removal. They said that he can’t give enough time to party affairs because of his personal problems. They suggested that Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad could be a good substitute because he is an organisation man and also a Muslim,which is important in a state like UP. Digvijay Singh’s presence in the PM’s entourage came to them as a jolt. For,its shows beyond doubt that the Thakur from MP remains important for the PM and the Congress.

History: State Cong’s favourite pastime
Lately,some Congress leaders have developed an interest in history. The reason is Amaresh Mishra — the head of the party’s anti-communal front — who is a history scholar from Allahabad University. Mishra has conceived the party’s ongoing “Sanjhi virasat,sanjhi shahadat” programme,which is meant to highlight the country’s common heritage by organising various events at places associated with the freedom struggle. But many don’t relish a johnny come lately hogging the limelight. It is also said that these programmes involve too much avoidable expenditure. Some have started looking for a knowledgeable person who could be put in Mishra’s place. Others have started consulting history books to verify the authenticity of his claims. But easing Mishra out may not be so easy. Mishra,who had contested the Lok Sabha election as a Peace Party candidate against Rita Bahuguna Joshi in Lucknow,but was brought into the Congress by none other than Digvijay Singh.

DIGs promoted,SSPs wait
Recently,the Mayawati government cleared the promotion of 1990-batch IPS officers from DIGs to IGs. Usually,promotions of SSPs to DIGs are ordered simultaneously. “When DIG become IGs,it leads to vacancies at the DIG level. So,the tradition is that the officers of both ranks — DIG and SSP — get promotions simultaneously,” said an officer. Since the government has made an exception this time,the 1995-batch IPS officers,who are due for promotion as DIGs,are getting anxious.

No controversy,please
Last week,honorary secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Badminton Association (UPBA),Vijai Sinha,announced that Saina Nehwal will be awarded Rs 5 lakh for making the nation proud by winning three international titles in a row. Since Sinha is also the general secretary of the Badminton Association of India (BAI),he was asked whether it was BAI or UPBA that would honour Saina. Sinha gave a strange reply: “I don’t want to get involved in any controversy. How does it matter from where the money comes?” He blocked further questions with a “thank you very much”. Maybe,Sinha does not know from where money will come. But,if he is to be believed,Saina will be felicitated during the Syed Modi International Grand Prix Badminton Tournament to be held in Lucknow from December 14 to 19. Besides,former all-England champion and chief national coach Pullela Gopichand will be honoured with a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh and coach P Bhaskar Babu — who accompanied Saina during her tour — will be presented a cash prize of Rs 50,000.