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Journalism of Courage
Digvijaya again
In the past,whenever AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh made controversial statements,UP Congress leaders generally kept quiet. But after Singh said he would not rule out the RSS involvement in the latest Mumbai blasts,they have started talking about the possible fallout of his utterances. Many believe such statements could be perceived as anti-Hindu and a desperate attempt to please Muslims. Some party leaders even conveyed to Rahul Gandhi that such utterances could damage the Congress in the Assembly elections. Rahul Gandhi reportedly heard them,but did not give his mind. Nevertheless,the party leaders believe that the message has gone home.
Caste politics
Rahul Gandhi says the politics of caste and religion has ruined Uttar Pradesh. For this,he blames the BJP,BSP,and the SP and claims the Congress is the only secular and non-casteist party. Nevertheless,some senior Congress leaders make it a point to publicise their caste identity. In his Facebook account,Beni Prasad Verma describes himself as strongest Kurmi leader from Purvanchal. The Steel Minister is one of the active netizens from the Congress,who regularly posts his views and has 3,943 friends on Facebook.
Shift in focus
There was time when BSP chief Mayawati called Mukhtar Ansari messiah of the poor,ignoring his long criminal record. Then she disowned him. Now BSP seems to be keen to win over Anand Rai,nephew of former BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai who was killed in November 2005,allegedly by Mukhtar Ansari. The reason is Mohammadabad constituency,which was the battleground of Ansari and Krishnanand Rai. In the 2007 Assembly elections,Ansaris brother Sibghat Ullah Ansari had won from Mohammadabad by defeating Krishanand Rais wife Alka Rai,who was the BJP candidate. The BSP first decided to shift MLA Pashupati Nath Rai,whose constituency Dildarnagar was abolished in the delimitation,to Mohammadabad,but now believes that Anand Rai may be a stronger candidate. Therefore,PWD Minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui met Anand Rai in Varanasi a few days ago.
No sanyas
Labour Minister Badshah Singhs presence at Mayawatis meeting earlier this week suggests that he has dropped the idea of taking sanyas from politics. Since his constituency Maudaha was abolished in the delimitation,he wanted to move to Mahoba,but the party did not want to disturb sitting MLA Rakesh Goswami. It was in these circumstances that Badshah Singh decided to take ‘sanyas. But suddenly he has started travelling extensively in Mahoba. Obviously,something has happened that has revived his enthusiasm for politics. Whether Goswami will be simply dropped,or moved to some other constituency,is not yet clear.
Left in lurch
The July 6 Moradabad incident in which DIG Ashok Kumar was injured during a clash between the police and a mob was high on the agenda when the IPS Association met. Officers were surprised that the government had not taken any action against District Magistrate Rajshekhar who allegedly disappeared from the spot,leaving the DIG at the mercy of the mob. Both the DM and the DIG had gone to the spot in the same vehicle. When the situation worsened,the DM left, said an official. An injured Ashok Kumar had to be hospitalised. The government later transferred Rajshekhar which,say IPS officers,is no punishment. This is the first issue in hand for the new association president R S Dhillon and secretary Arun Kumar,both of whom were elected at the same meeting.
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