From the Hindi Press

In an open editorial in the Hindustan, historian and political analyst Mahesh Rangrajan comments on AICC national president Sonia Gandhi8217;s recent statement...

Hindustan

In an open editorial in the Hindustan, historian and political analyst Mahesh Rangrajan comments on AICC national president Sonia Gandhi8217;s recent statement in Kanpur that 8220;Rahul would go to jail if need be8221; and writes that such politics works only when there is enough work done on the ground level. But the Congress, he says, is yet to oil its machinery that has been rusting for decades.

The party knows that it won8217;t gain much by going it alone in the polls and so, its tone and temper has changed of late. The gun barrels have changed their target from Mulayam Singh Yadav to Chief Minister Mayawati, Rangarajan writes. Incidentally, it was Mayawati who extended her unconditional support to Sonia Gandhi for prime ministership, but today the latter has refused the BSP8217;s demand to order a CBI inquiry into the police recruitment scam during Mulayam8217;s rule.

Dainik Jagran

A news report in the Dainik Jagran says UP8217;s record in getting Central assistance is much worse than Bihar8217;s and suggests that it8217;s better not to talk about the Rs 80,000 crore package that the BSP government had sought from the Centre. The writer quotes from statistics to argue that UP lagged behind other Congress and BJP states, including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh, when it came to Central help. The story gives specific examples 8212; the Indira Housing Scheme where UP got Rs 477 crore while Bihar got Rs 1,063 crore; the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission where Maharashtra and West Bengal got Rs 1,042 crore and Rs 625 crore while UP got Rs 526. According to the report, while other states were given 90 per cent grant for drought and flood relief, only 10 per cent of central relief came for UP when Bundelkhand has been facing drought for last five years.

Rashtriya Sahara

A report in the Rashtriya Sahara says disgruntled engineers in semi-government organisations in UP are moving to the private sector. According to the report, over 50 engineers from different government-run boards and corporations have left their jobs to join the corporate world. The departments that felt the pinch include the Housing and Urban development Board, Jal Nigam, development authorities, Bridge Corporation and local bodies. The report states that poor promotion policies were responsible for the brain drain. The report also says that many of these corporations were yet to implement the recommendations of the Fourth Pay Commission.

Amar Ujala

Amar Ujala says National SC/ST Commission chairman Buta Singh is hurt because UP Chief Minister Mayawati pretended not to know him. The report quotes Buta Singh as saying, 8220;Insulting others is an old habit of Mayawati. Earlier too she had refused to recognise me. When I called up Chief Minister8217;s office in Lucknow, the officials there didn8217;t know who I was.8221; But that didn8217;t stop Buta from expressing his solidarity with Mayawati on her face-off with BKU leader Mahendra Singh Tikait. Buta has asked Mayawati8217;s principal secretary to provide the Commission with detailed information about the incident and has assured Mayawati that he would act against Tikait in the case.

Compiled by Alka S Pande