Brushed under the sari: BJP man fixed Lalji show

The BJP claims that it was his Nagrik Seva Samiti that organised this. But ask anybody in Lucknow, Yadav is known more for his proximity to Tandon and the criminal cases against him for alleged landgrabbing than for his work for the NGO he has set up.

Yadav is a BJP member and earlier has been a corporator. In 1989, he contested elections from Lucknow (West) and lost. Predictably, today he is nowhere to be seen. His three palatial houses—one with a closed-circuit TV— in the upscale Mahanagar area are deserted. His family is known as one of the most prominent traders of Lohamandi, the iron and steel market in the city.

‘‘He is a member of the BJP and has been for a few years now,’’ confirmed Anil Bajpai, a state BJP office-bearer and head of the party’s ‘‘intellectual cell’’ here. Last year, on Lalji Tandon’s birthday he had distributed an estimated 20,000 saris. The venue was different, a few kilometres away in Nimbu park. Infact, some of the families of victims said that every year they look forward to either a blanket, sari, a meal or even a free eye check-up. Eyewitnesess say that one reason why the stampede started was because Tandon left the spot after distributing a few saris. The rest was distributed by junior functionaries in the party. Yadav was also present and is said to have announced that distribution would stop after half an hour creating further panic in the crowd.