Delhi Confidential: His Own Gallery

The pandemic may have officially ended two years ago, but Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati’s staff still wear facemasks when she is around. On Sunday, when Mayawati addressed the press at the party office in Lucknow on the recent Supreme Court verdict on sub-classification of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for reservation purposes, her security staff from UP Police came wearing facemasks.

Some of the staff at the party office were also seen covering their faces with handkerchiefs. Insiders say Mayawati is very cautious about air-borne infections and she even ensures that the area around her house and office is dust-free.

In & Out

Ever since the BJP returned to power at the Centre, its leadership seems to be keener on keeping the coalition intact. In Karnataka, when BJP state chief B Y Vijayendra announced a padyatra between Bangalore and Mysore to highlight the “scams” of the Congress government in the state, ally JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, who is also a Union minister, announced he won’t take part in it.

However, the BJP leadership intervened to ensure that Kumaraswamy attended the march. However, some BJP leaders, including Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, Satish Jarkiholi and Arvind Limbavalli, didn’t take part in the march. According to one senior party leader, their (those who didn’t take part) act was like a “kala teeka on the padyatra to keep evil eye off”.