Lucknownama

Hedging bets
Perhaps unsure of his political fate,which hinges on a Supreme Court decision,actor Sanjay Dutt took time off from campaigning to discuss the script of ’72 Hours’,an upcoming film by Lucknow-born director Abhishek Tandon on Sunday. Sanjay personally called Abhishek and sought an appointment for reading the script. Earlier,Sanjay had announced that he would stay in Lucknow till March 30,but went back to Mumbai to shoot a song for Soham Shah’s Luck. Tomorrow,the court may clear the uncertainty for Dutt.

Tragicomedy
Not very long ago,stand-up comedian Raju Srivastava had bragged that he had offers from the Samajwadi Party and the Congress to contest the Lok Sabha poll as their candidate,but would pick the Congress as it was the first to approach him. The fact was that Raju,who hails from Kanpur,had knocked on the doors of both the Congress and the SP,seeking nomination for Allahabad. Both have announced their candidates,and Raju Srivastava’s name is not there. For the comedian,the episode has turned out an unintended joke on himself.

Bygones be bygones
The return of Manoj Mishra of the CD fame in the state BJP office has caused disquiet among the supporters of Lalji Tandon,the BJP candidate for Lucknow. During the 2007 assembly elections,the BJP had released a couple of CDs carrying provocative material against the Muslims. The CDs were released by Lalji Tandon and former Rajya Sabha member Rajnath Singh ‘Surya’. It led to a furore,and the Election Commission ordered the lodging of an FIR against Tandon and Rajnath Singh. The police,in its chargesheet,wrongly named BJP president Rajnath Singh. Soon after the controversy,the BJP suspended Manoj Mishra,who was part of the party’s media team. Now Tandon supporters wonder the point in bringing back Mishra when everyone has forgotten the CD issue.

Real McCoy
The All India Civil Services Hockey Tournament,which ended on March 27,has left a buzz of the wrong kind. Officials of the Bangalore team,which emerged winners,had reportedly raised questions about the identities of some of the players in the UP team,which was the runner-up. It is alleged that the trainees from a hockey club impersonated some secretariat employees. But the organising secretary of the tournament,AK Saxena,rubbished this as a rumour. “Actually,the Bangalore team was afraid of losing in the final,so they raised objections. We produced the authentic I-cards of all players,after which they were satisfied. No written protest was submitted. In fact,another team had a goal-keeper from outside. As far as the UP Secretariat team is concerned,all players were genuine,” he insisted.