After tirade, Mulayam’s ‘courtesy call’ on Governor

Despite strained relations and his continued tirade against Governor T.V. Rajeswar, UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav today visited Raj ...

Despite strained relations and his continued tirade against Governor T.V. Rajeswar, UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav today visited Raj Bhawan. ‘‘It was a courtesy call and nothing should be read between the lines,’’ the chief minister said after the meeting.

Sources, however, claim that Mulayam met the Governor to convince him not to block the ordinance for setting up of an Urdu University at Rampur.

On Tuesday, the chief minister had claimed that he wouldn’t have to wait for Rajeswar to clear it as he could so by convening a special session of the Assembly. Later, legal experts explained that setting up of the university would still require the Governor’s approval as per the Constitution.

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Sources say, at this juncture — by-elections to two Lok Sabha seats and a dozen Assembly seats are scheduled for October 13 — Mulayam needs the Urdu University to woo the minority community.

The Governor, however, did not give any assurance on the issue and instead expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Mulayam, sources said, informed Rajeswar that he has already issued directives to police officials to immediately check the spiralling crime graph.

The stalemate over the issue is likely to continue as the Governor has raised objections to the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Urdu University Bill, proposing state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Azam Khan as its pro-chancellor for life.

Mulayam, for his part, on Monday reiterated: ‘‘I am surprised why anybody would have objections to a qualified Muslim becoming the Chancellor.’’

The police said the trio from Chandigarh — Rohan (21), Sumit (22), and Mohit (19) — were dhol players by profession and had procured the weapons due to an old rivalry with local residents.

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