Lucknownama

After P L Punia’s appointment as chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes,the Congress is looking for a suitable Dalit leader who can play an active role in the organisation’s fight against Chief Minister Mayawati. Former BSP MP Balihari Babu,who had joined the Congress before the Lok Sabha elections last year,is said to be the favourite. Others in consideration include retired IAS officers Ram Krishna and Prabhu Dayal,current and former head of the UPCC’s SC/ST cell. Immediately,the chosen man will head one of the 10 Congress yatras beginning next month. Babu has several factors in his favour. Like Punia,he was once close to Mayawati. Like Punia,he knows the BSP inside out. Like Punia,Mayawati had called him a traitor. However,unlike Punia,who is a retired bureaucrat,Babu is a political man.

On comeback trail

Unlike most other BJP leaders,Vinay Katiyar has been hyperactive and also hypervocal on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue after the Allahabad High Court judgment. He has also been spending good time with sadhus in Ayodhya. Some partymen link this with Katiyar’s political problems. During the Ram Temple movement,Katiyar was the president of Bajrang Dal and had emerged as a prominent face of the BJP’s aggressive Hindutva. In 1991,he was elected MP from Faizabad for the first time. He won again in 1996 and a third time in 1999. Later,however,the going for Katiyar became difficult in Faizabad. In 2004,he shifted to Lakhimpur Kheri,but lost. Last year,he contested from Ambedkar Nagar,and lost from there too. Also,Pilibhit MP Varun Gandhi emerged as the new face of BJP’s aggressive Hindutva. Apparently,Katiyar believes the Ayodhya judgment gives him a chance to restore his image and reclaim the Faizabad seat by making the right noises.

Nishad brothers together?

After more than two years,Jamuna Prasad Nishad has got bail,but his world has changed a lot. He had lost his ministerial berth in June 2008 when his supporters attacked a police station and killed a constable. Keen to retain the BSP’s hold on the Nishad community,Mayawati had made his brother Ganga Nishad chairman of Awas Bandhu,with the status of minister of state. An engineer in a fertiliser unit,Ganga had no political background. Everyone thought it was a temporary arrangement and Ganga was only keeping the seat warm for his brother. According to the BSP grapevine,however,Ganga developed his own ambitions. But Jamuna denies that there is any problem between brothers. “We are from the same family. I am Jamuna while he is Ganga,” was his comment.

Dengue toll

The dengue menace in city has led to clipping of the wings of Lucknow Municipal Corporation Commissioner Shailesh Kumar Singh,who was also the state’s estate officer until some time ago. After the outbreak of the disease,Singh was summoned to the hallowed Pancham Tal of the secretariat annexe and asked to explain his failure to ensure cleanliness in the city. Sources said Singh pleaded that he had the responsibility of two important posts. The explanation backfired. He was stripped of the post of estate officer,which gave him control over all state properties,including residential,and tremendous patronage. Worse,a sword now hangs over Singh’s head. His workload reduced,Singh now has no excuse not to control the spread of dengue in Lucknow.