Lucknownama

Payback time

Ajit Singh’s area of influence may be western UP but he is also getting active in other parts of the state. On Thursday,he held a public meeting at Pindara village in Gauriganj Assembly segment of Rahul Gandhi’s constituency Amethi. There,he praised Anna Hazare’s campaign against corruption and said his thoughts were similar to those of his father and former prime minister late Charan Singh. Obviously,Ajit Singh is paying back the Congress which says it wants an alliance with his Rashtriya Lok Dal but does not take him in confidence. First,Rahul Gandhi had made those highly publicised visits to western UP without consulting him. Next,the Congress unilaterally announced its first list of candidates for the 2012 Assembly elections.

Rules for all

Under the new organisational system introduced by Rahul Gandhi,district and city presidents of the Congress are expected to resign from their organisational posts after getting the party ticket so that they can concentrate on their constituencies and leave the responsibility to others. Many partymen believe this should also apply to state Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi who has been named candidate for the Lucknow Cantonment Assembly seat. Joshi argues her son is taking care of her constituency so that she can devote full time to her responsibilities as party president. But others ask whether rules are only meant for the lower rank office-bearers.

Silence is golden

State BJP president Surya Pratap Shahi now avoids commenting on the MLAs who left the party recently. The cause for his embarrassment is Sukh Lal,MLA from Barkhera constituency in Pilibhit district who has announced that he wants to join the Congress. Shahi had denied a report that six MLAs,including Sukh Lal,were planning to quit the BJP. He had also produced the MLAs before the media to clarify their position. Five of the MLAs dutifully made statements of their dedication and commitment to the party but Sukh Lal was hesitant. On Shahi’s prodding,he did utter a few sentences but showed his true colour later within days. Obviously,Shahi feels betrayed. But what could he do when the reasons which led to Sukh Lal’s defection are beyond his control?

NRHM jitters

On Saturday evening,the office of Lokesh Kumar,General Manager (Administration) in NRHM,had an unusual visitor. It was Pradeep Shukla,former principal secretary of health and family welfare,who was also mission director of NRHM,until he was removed in April after the murder of former CMO B P Singh. Shukla is much senior to Lokesh Kumar: He is IAS officer of the 1981 batch while Lokesh Kumar is a PCS officer of the 1983 batch. So why was he visiting Lokesh Kumar’s office? Whatever his reasons,Shukla has enough reasons to be anxious. The high court is hearing a petition for a CBI inquiry into the implementation of NRHM in UP during the time when Shukla was the boss. Worse for Shukla,the Centre has backed the petitioner’s demand.

Luck runs out

BSP MLC Ramchandra Pradhan,who is chairman of the Pradeshik Co-operative Federation,is passing through a bad patch. Pradhan was so close to former Cooperative Minister Babu Singh Kushwaha that his word was the law in the Cooperative Department. After Kushwaha’s exit from the state cabinet,Naseemuddin Siddiqui got the Cooperative Department. Since Siddiqui keeps Pradhan at a distance,his clout has evaporated. A miffed Pradhan has reportedly stopped attending monthly review meetings of the department.