Bulls’ horns
The mighty Secretariat Employees’ Association (SEA) and a young secretary are baring fangs to each other nowadays after the latter lodged an FIR against the former, to the curious awe of others. Proving to be hard nuts to crack, both the warring SEA members and the secretary are waiting for the other side to cower in. But things not happening this way, speculations are running rife in the buzzing corridors of the Secretariat on what is finally in store. For, it is a known fact that the Secretariat holds an exalted place in the governmental edifice of the state, given the rapport the members enjoy with the redoubtable ministers and the MlAs. They have even easy access to chief minister’s office (CMO). As things stand now, they are inclined to first take approval from CMO and move files to the officers, leaving the latter little or no options to demur. To show prowess, they managed to have a room on the ground floor of the CMO building allotted to the association. However, SAD refusing to hand over the key to them triggered a vitriolic spat. losing patience with the SAD sitting over the matter, paying no heed to the SEA members’ red eyes, they broke the lock and sought to take possession to show who the real boss are. Exasperated with the ‘blatant act of indiscipline’, SAD has lodged FIR against the guilty officials. Now, things are taking time to thaw as none of the parties has shown the least of readiness to budge. Things are bound to remain in a fix for some more time, the secretariat watchers say. If the secretary finally bows down it would further embolden the ‘audacious’ officers to make fun of the hierarchical stature. And if SEA genuflects it would send the message that they are finally ineffectual bullies when someone dares to take the bull by the horns.
Thrashing for Nishank
In a severe thrashing of BJP, in general, and its MP from Haridwar constituency, Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, the former chief minister, in particular, the saffron party has managed to win just three seats in the 47- member of Haridwar district Panchayat. This debacle from the rural belt of a very important district in the state’s Garwal region having as many as 14 seats in the 70-member state Assembly, the state BJP leaders must literally scratch their heads as to how to regain their redoubt in a span of a year or so with the Assembly election slated in 2017. However, the MP of Haridwar has hard days ahead with his clout over his constituency having been seemingly depleted irrevocably. The massive drubbing was not totally unexpected, given the defeat the saffron party received during the July 2014 Doiwala Assembly by-poll. BJP candidate Trivendra Singh Rawat lost the seat vacated by Dr Nishank himself following his election to the lok Sabha earlier that year to the Congress candidate Heera Singh Bisht. Another surprise that has sprung up in the rural poll outcome from Haridwar district is the revival of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) whose presence was microscopic till the other day. The party admirably dented into the scene, raising pensive eyebrows in the ruling Congress camps. Now, the state watchers say horse trading would ensue on the crucial election for the post of the Haridwar district Panchayat president, given the upcoming grand electoral engagement due early next year, if not much earlier with the mid-term poll buzzing in the political corridors.