Lucknownama

Babu out of CM team
What went wrong between former Rajya Sabha member Balihari Babu and Mayawati? Babu was part of Mayawati’s trusted circle. In the past,she had tasked him to head BSP units in important states including Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. First,he was asked to resign from the Rajya Sabha and then expelled from the party. Babu was called to the CM’s residence in Lucknow on June 12. “I persuaded him to resign by offering him the post of a Cabinet minister. Raja Ram had informed me that Congress had bribed Balihari,” Mayawati reportedly disclosed at her meeting with party leaders. “Pehle janti to uska operation theek se kar deti,” she added.

Protesting ministers
Lately,Union ministers from UP have turned agitators. First,MoS Rural Development Pradeep Jain led a demonstration against irregular power supply in Jhansi,his hometown. He even went to the local power station and met the officials to lodge a complaint. Then,in Kanpur,MoS Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Sriprakash Jaiswal sat on a dharna with local Congress workers to highlight the problems of poor water and electricity supply. “We want the people in Uttar Pradesh to know that the party is serious about the basic problems faced by them,” said a senior Congress leader. Very well,but one thought ministers were supposed to govern.

Hard times for BJP
The BJP is really passing through a difficult time in UP. On Sunday,the party had to dissolve the Anushasan (discipline) Committee. It turned out that Rajkumar Tyagi,who headed the committee,had himself broken party discipline during the Lok Sabha election by indulging in anti-party activities in Meerut. Though the BJP won the seat,Tyagi’s role in Meerut created serious problems,said a leader. Not just that,Tyagi’s presence as chairman of the committee was the biggest obstruction in the way of taking action against those who had betrayed the party in the elections,the leader added.

Out in the open
Security of Samta Mulak Chowk and the three statues installed there is a tough task for the 18-strong Home Guard contingent. They were deployed on July 3 when the SP observed “shok diwas”. Since then,they have been keeping a watch on the statues in scorching sun,humidity and rain,without any shelter. Worse,there is no arrangement of drinking water. They take turns to fetch water from nearby buildings. Each guard has to be on duty for at least eight hours. To protect themselves from the sun and the rain,the guards gather in the shadow of the concave walls. “That is of little help. You can’t sit on the granite floor. It becomes warm very easily,” said a Home Guard. Their colleagues at the Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Prateek Sthal,about a kilometre away,have better luck. The canopies over the statues there offer them shelter from rain and sun.

Girls’ day out
The under-18 national girls hockey team,now training at the Sports Authority of India’s sub-centre at Lucknow,is preparing for the under-18 Asia Cup to be held in Shanghai from July 17 to 26. Chief coach G S Bhangu says the girls are really doing well,helped by the excellent facilities at the sub-centre. There are AC rooms,with not more than two girls in one room,nutritious food,a modern gym and a woman doctor. It also has a physio and a masseur,both women. The peaceful atmosphere of the centre — located on the outskirts of the city — also allows the players to concentrate on the game without any distraction,says Bhangu. Team captain N Amubi Devi,from Manipur,says training at the sub-centre has boosted the team’s morale. “Hum log gold medal layega,” she says in her broken Hindi. Chak De!