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Journalism of Courage
Thinking ahead
Ministhy S,a 2003-batch IAS officer,was removed as District Magistrate of Farrukhabad after Chief Minister Mayawatis inspection tour. An official statement accused her of lax administrative control and carelessness in development work. After such indictment,her posting as Special Secretary,Appointments,raised eyebrows. It is not one of those posts where officials out of favour are usually dumped. She will be reporting to Kunwar Fateh Bahadur,Principal Secretary of Home,who is one of the blue-eyed boys of the regime. The fact is that Ministhy has the reputation of an efficient,no-nonsense officer. Last time,she hit the headlines when former chief minister Mulayam Singh had targeted her for cancelling the arms licenses of his supporters. Officials say by giving Ministhy a respectable posting,the government is just being practical. With the Assembly elections barely a year away,it does not want to annoy officers who have a good reputation. Who knows what responsibility the Election Commission may give them?
Subtle manoeuvre
About two years ago,the government had abolished police zones as part of a restructuring. Now it has created an NCR zone to improve policing and law and order in the region. What merit has the government discovered in an old,discarded idea? And if the idea was really good,why not revive all zones? Apparently,the action has been taken specially to accommodate 1983-batch IPS officer Gurbachan Lal in western UP. Along with Special DG (Law and Order) Brij Lal and ADG-rank officer Vijay Singh,who is posted in the CMO,Lal is regarded as a favourite of the regime. The bureaucracy had done its homework sometime ago to send Lal to western UP in a suitable position. It worked when Mayawati expressed unhappiness over the law and order situation in western UP during her tour.
Pre-empting Cong
The Rashtriya Lok Dals striking a deal with the Peace Party of India and five other smaller outfits has alarmed the Samajwadi Party. The SP was keen on having a tie-up with Ajit Singhs RLD,but not with the rest. It believed that the arrangement will help both parties because the RLD,which is confined to western UP,has a caste base which is different from that of SP. On the other hand,the other parties are trying to make inroads in the SPs OBC base in eastern UP. But now,faced with a fait accompli,the SP has opened channels of communication with the confederation. The fear is that if the SP tarries,the Congress may strike a deal with the confederation.
Diktat for Daddu
Daddu Prasad,Minister of Rural Development who is three-term MLA from Manikpur in Bundelkhands Banda district,has reportedly been told to get ready to contest the next Lok Sabha election in 2014 from Bansgaon (SC) in Gorakhpur. The BSPs Dalit face in Bundelkhand,Daddu Prasad,was spotted by Kanshiram and initiated into the Dalit movement in 1982. His growing stature and the fact that he belongs to the Jatav community are said to be the reason he has been asked to shift to eastern UP. It is hoped that it will strengthen the BSP in the region. Party sources said Daddu Prasad is not really enthusiastic. But who in the BSP dare defy the party decision?
Out of line
In the BSP,the party discipline applies not just to leaders and favourites,but also to their family members. When Sabha member Brajesh Pathaks brother Rajesh Pathak joined the SP recently,Brajesh ensured that he quit it within 72 hours. Earlier,senior IAS officer J N Chamber was dumped in the Board of Revenue after his daughter Disha quit the BSP amid reports that she may return to the Congress. Now,all eyes in the BSP are on Haji Yakub Qureshi,MLA from Meerut City,and not because he slapped a constable on duty. It is because the MLAs brother Yusuf joined the Congress last week. There is a strong possibility that the Congress may field Yusuf from the Meerut city,from where Yakub has planned to shift to Meerut South. Is there a private arrangement in the family to increase its influence,irrespective of party politics? For the BSP,Yakub is important because of his loyal following in the Kuresh community which helped him win in 2007 as a candidate of the unknown United Democratic Front. Will Behanji spare Yakub?
Discipline? Whats that?
Party discipline is something Congressmen can flout without fear. The rivalry between Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi and legislature party leader Pramod Tiwari is known. So is the mutual dislike of Beni Prasad Verma and PL Punia. Vermas men even removed a commemorative plaque in the Gonda Congress office because it had Punias name. On Sunday,in spite of Joshis reservations,Unnao MP Annu Tandon ensured the induction of a small-time SP leader Santosh Yadav in the Congress. Party sources said the district unit,too,had opposed the move. Ignoring all,Tandon approached AICC secretary Parvez Hashmi who welcomed Yadav in the party fold. Joshi stayed away in Delhi,although she was scheduled to attend a Youth Congress programme in the city. Asked about her absence,a party leader said,Didis health did not allow her to travel to Lucknow.
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