Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Getting his way
Last week,Mulayam Singh Yadav announced restoration of the four frontal youth organisations of the Samajwadi Party which were dissolved in January. Next,Akhilesh Yadav,who is state president of the party,issued the necessary order for restoration of the state units of these organisations. It was assumed that Ramgopal Yadav,who is party general secretary in charge of the organisation,would issue similar orders at the national level. But in less than two hours,Akhileshs order was withdrawn and a fresh one issued,stating that youth leaders above 35 years of age will not be given posts in the frontal organisations. Apparently,Ramgopal did not want some of the youth leaders rehabilitated and,in spite of Netajis announcement and Akhileshs order,had his way.
Appointment blow
Many eyebrows were raised when Dr Yaseen Ali Usmani of Badaun,who is a known opponent of Minorities Welfare Minister Azam Khan,was appointed Vice-Chairman of the Urdu Academy with the status of minister of state. However,days passed but Usmani did not receive any official communication. He contacted the Chief Ministers office in Lucknow,but did not get a satisfactory reply. Usmani then drove down to Lucknow. There,the CMs secretariat informed that his appointment had been made,but the letter had been put on hold. Usmani understood and quietly went back to Badaun.
Standing up to CM
Can an official say no to a directive from the Chief Minister? A chief engineer of the Irrigation Department has done this. The Chief Minister wanted a team of officers to go to Bihar and study the good practices adopted there to restore some extinct rivers. The team was to consist of officers from the Rural Development Department and Irrigation Department. To everyones surprise,a chief engineer refused to go,saying he had done better work in UP. Inquiries revealed that the engineer had recently visited Bihar and claimed to have seen the project which had so impressed the Chief Minister. While other officers would go ahead with the field visit on April 27,the chief engineer has been asked to submit a report,with details to back his claim.
Wary with words
Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma has become cautious not only about what he says,but also before whom he says it. Recently,Verma organised a press conference in Lucknow,but only select journalists were invited. As the news spread,reporters of TV channels,with their OB vans,reached Vermas house hoping for some interesting bytes. But no TV journalist was allowed in. Only those invited were let in after verifying their identity twice. Inside his house,Verma was his usual self,saying whatever he liked,but he asked the reporters to put down their pens and notebooks on the table before saying anything off the record. He also took a careful look at the pens,perhaps wary of hidden cameras.
On tiger trail
A few months ago,Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav visited the Katarnia Ghat sanctuary in Bahraich and was impressed by its beauty. He asked his children to visit the place if they wanted to see tigers in the wild. The children,accompanied by Akhileshs cousin Anurag Yadav,went to Katarnia Ghat and stayed there for the night. Hoping to see a tiger,they woke up early next morning and went out,but didnt see any tigers. The whole day they scoured the sanctuary,but only saw some domesticated cows and buffaloes. The forest staff had a tough time explaining to them that there indeed were tigers in the sanctuary.
Krishnas largesse
Recently,when PWD Minister Shivpal Yadav visited Faizabad,the young Minister of State for Entertainment Tax Tejnarain Pandey alias Pawan Pandey,while welcoming him,likened him to Lord Krishna. When Shivpal looked suitably mellowed,Pandey presented himself as Sudama and asked for some help for his constituency. A euphoric Shivpal assured that Sudama cannot go back empty-handed and announced several schemes,worth Rs 500 crore,for Ayodhya and Faizabad.
Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
