Lucknownama

Worries in closet

Like the ruling BSP,BJP leaders have tried to dismiss Rahul Gandhi’s frequent forays in UP as a drama. In private,however,party leaders are worried. In an informal chat with mediapersons,a senior leader admitted that after every visit of Rahul Gandhi,the BJP had to work “five times more’’ to neutralise his effect. The party has deployed senior leaders,including Uma Bharti,Rajnath Singh,Kalraj Mishra and state president Surya Pratap Shahi to travel across the state and organise meetings. But the problem is none has proved a match to Rahul Gandhi,who has shown an uncanny ability to attract attention by springing surprises,be it his unannounced visit to Bhatta-Parsaul in May,or his padyatra in western UP earlier this month.

Problem of plenty

Congressmen are upbeat,so much so that they assume that they are going to form the government next year. The party is attracting ticket-seekers like never before in the last two decades. Congressmen are also trying to block the entry of local politicians from other parties,arguing that they can win the election on their own. Obviously,no one wants people who can become rival contenders for the ticket. Among those who have run into this problem is Arimardan Singh,former Samajwadi Party MLA from Mahoba,who was instrumental in the creation of Mahoba district in 1994 during the SP-BSP coalition regime. He has been camping in Delhi to persuade some central leaders. But Manoj Tewari,Congress leader in Mahoba,is stalling his entry. Manoj Tewari was the Congress candidate in 2007 Assembly polls and wants to contest again.

Reasoning,unreasoning

As Union Environment Minister,Jairam Ramesh had refused to give environment clearance to the Ken-Betwa river link project because of its likely impact on the Panna Tiger Reserve. During a visit to Madhya Pradesh three months back,he had spoken against it. Now that he has become Rural Development Minister,a section of Congressmen in Bundelkhand hopes that Ramesh will back the project. They are planning to meet Ramesh soon. “We know he was very critical of the project as Environment Minister,but as Rural Development Minister,we think he will now see the other side of the project,” said one of them.

No sweet times ahead

With Assembly elections due next year,the sugar industry is worried. They apprehend that the state government is going to announce a hefty hike in the state advisory price of sugarcane to please farmers. With the wholesale price of sugar hovering around Rs 2,500-2,800 per quintal during the last eight months,the industry fears that any further hike in SAP will prove to be last straw on the camel’s back. There will also be demands for money to fight elections.