Lucknownama

All is not well with BSPs Bihar unit. In the recent Rajya Sabha elections,four BSP legislators proposed the nomination of Karnataka businessman Uday Garudachar,but ditched him at the last moment.

BSP MLAs polls apart
All is not well with BSPs Bihar unit. In the recent Rajya Sabha elections,four BSP legislators proposed the nomination of Karnataka businessman Uday Garudachar,but ditched him at the last moment. While three of them voted for the RLD-LJP combine,which fielded Ram Vilas Paswan,one voted for JD(U). For the BSP,the MLAs support to the RLD-LJP combine is really painful. For,Paswan is no admirer of Mayawati. A few days before the election,he had visited Lucknow and accused the BSP government of failing to check atrocities on Dalits in UP. Nevertheless,the BSP is trying to play down the episode. The MLAs had full freedom to make their own choice. There was no whip, said BSPs Bihar coordinator Gandhi Azad. He may not accept the problem,but reports from Patna say the MLAs,unsure of their victory as BSP candidates,have made a deal with the principal parties of Bihar for their nomination in the coming Vidhan Sabha election.

Pruning exercise begins?
Rita Bahuguna Joshi has been at pains in her denial of charges that trees in the state Congress headquarters are being cut. Just the branches have been chopped off for convenience,she says. But the manner in which it has been done is senseless: the trees have lost their majestic canopies,giving them an ugly look. Perhaps to silence the criticism,gulmohar and neem saplings have been planted. But,the issue refuses to die. When Union Minister of State for Coal Sriprakash Jaiswal addressed a press conference here last week,he was asked about the cutting of trees. Before Jaiswal could say anything,Joshi promptly replied that there had been no cutting of trees. Just some pruning of the old trees has been done. By 2012,you will again see them all green with fresh life. The surprise reference to 2012 set off a speculation: Are the non-performing oldies in the Congress going to be cut to size?

Revolving door
A transfer out of the Chief Ministers Office is nothing new for 1980-batch IAS officer Shailesh Krishna. Twice in the past,he was removed from the CMO only to be brought back within months. The third time,however,things look different. Mayawati seems to be angry with him. For,unlike in the past,Krishna has now been shunted out of Lucknow and posted in Allahabad as a member of the Revenue Board. Ironically,his predecessor Vijay Shanker Pandey,who has now become his successor as Principal Secretary of Information,was also sent to Allahabad after he was removed from the CMO in March. Pandey then lobbied to stay on in Lucknow. Now,Krishna will do the same. This is history repeating itself in the Mayawati regime.

No horses on new courses
It was three months ago that 1980-batch IPS officer Sulkhan Singh was promoted to the rank of ADG,but he continues to be IG (Prison). This is the second such example in recent months when an officer has been denied a post commensurate with his rank. Earlier,the state government had promoted IPS officer Vijay Singh,secretary to the chief minister,to the rank of ADG. He still continues in his old post,although an ADG is equivalent to a principal secretary. Usually,officials are touchy about their status and position. Perhaps,the anomalous situation here suits these officers and also the government.

UP football has no goal
With this being the season of football,here is a story that reflects the status of the Beautiful Game in Lucknow. It turned out that several girls selected to represent Lucknow in the Junior State Football Championship had never played football. When the secret was out,fresh trials were organised at the Chowk Stadium on Sunday and the team left for Sultanpur,where the event will be held. Asked about the new team,District Football Association secretary Kanhaiyya Lal said,Barring a few changes,it is almost the same team. Some hockey players have again been selected. Twenty two girls turned up,of which 16 were shortlisted. And he had a simple explanation: After all,we have to choose from among those who participate in the trials and have an interest in the tournament. A person may well be playing two sports.

At home with guns
A female Sewa Dal volunteer with a pistol girded around her waist was the subject of much curiosity during Rahul Gandhis birthday celebrations in Lucknow on Saturday. Shakuntala Shukla,53. hails from Jaunpur and claims to share a five-year-long association with the Sewa Dal.

Shakuntala says she comes from a family of policemen: her father is a former sub-inspector and her sister is an inspector. She herself works as a counsellor at a family court where,she says,there have been occasions when she was threatened on job.

Story continues below this ad

So,she got an arms licence issued in 2005.
Im the only woman Sewa Dal worker who carries a weapon and probably the only such woman in Purvanchal Congress. I have never used it and dont want ever want to use it. But,it helps in keeping destructive characters at bay.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:
city

Lucknownama

All is not well with BSPs Bihar unit. In the recent Rajya Sabha elections,four BSP legislators proposed the nomination of Karnataka businessman Uday Garudachar,but ditched him at the last moment.

All is not well with BSPs Bihar unit. In the recent Rajya Sabha elections,four BSP legislators proposed the nomination of Karnataka businessman Uday Garudachar,but ditched him at the last moment.