Chhattisgarh
Rs10 lakh for Best Cow Shelters
CM Raman Singh declared that besides launching ambulance services for injured cows in 10 districts, the state government will also reward 10 best gau shalas (cow shelters) with `10 lakh each every year through the Gau Seva Ayog.
Awarded and Sacked
Two IPS officers in Chhattisgarh were sacked on August 5 citing for non-performance and in “public interest”. K C Agarwal was accused of protecting the coal mafia while he was Surajpur’s Superintendent of Police in 2005. He had won the President’s Police Medal the same year. Agrawal termed the charges baseless and denied any probe or departmental inquiry ever conducted against him. The other officer to be suspended is A M Juri, Assistant Inspector General (Planning & Provisioning), also on charges of non-performance.
West Bengal
Narada Money for ‘TMC funds’
Panchayat minister and Trinamool Congress leader Subrata Mukherjee told the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that he had accepted `3 lakh cash from Narada TV CEO Matthew Samuel, who had posed as a businessman, as “party funds”. He was among four TMC ministers summoned by the ED for alleged misappropriation of funds in the Narada scam.
GJM Calls for Unity with Plains
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha called Adivasis dominating the Terai region of north Bengal, which forms a substantial part of the proposed Gorkhaland state, to support the statehood movement and start agitating in the plains. However, the Adivasis have refrained from taking part in the Gorkhaland movement.
Uttar Pradesh
No Respite for Maya
Stung by rebellion and desertions, BSP chief Mayawati is likely to be in for another embarrassment. Her one-time trusted aide-turned-rebel Indrajit Saroj is contemplating to “expose” the commander of the blue brigade publicly in state capital Lucknow. Saroj has invited BSP functionaries, many of those whom contested the 2017 Assembly elections, to narrate their tales of misfortune and share experiences within the party. Saroj, who is weighing political options, seems determined to unveil Mayawati, who impels her cadre for extortion ahead of every election.
Raga Missing, Screams Amethi
The people of Amethi seem to be running short of patience over a missing Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, an MP from the constituency, who they allege is elusive and insensitive to their issues. The writing is on the wall—Rahul’s poster have gone missing from Amethi. The districts’ people say whoever can ‘find’ Rahul will be rewarded. On its part, Congess blames BJP and RSS, calling it their mischievous act to earn cheap publicity.
Punjab
Candidates Needed
The Congress, BJP and AAP don’t have any big names to field for the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha by-election, which fell vacant after death of actor and MP Vinod Khanna. BJP aspirants are Vinod’s wife Kavita Khanna, Mumbai-based businessman Swaran Salaria, former state BJP president Ashwini Sharma, and Sujanpur MLA and former Deputy Speaker of the Assembly Dinesh Singh Babu. Congress candidates in the running are From the Congress, names of its Punjab president Sunil Jakhar, former Union Minister Ashwini Kumar, MLAs Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Ashwini Sekhri and a family member of Congress Rajya Sabha member Pratap Singh Bajwa are doing the rounds.
Boomeranged Strategy
Power struggle in the Punjab babudum is at its peak. A PIL filed by a lawyer against the state government challenged the appointment of Chief Principal Secretary to the CM Suresh Kumar as as he is a retired IAS officer and cannot be made Cabinet Secretary. A group of officers who play golf together and are in the good books of CM Capt Amarinder Singh wanted Kumar’s ouster. Their strategy seems to have boomeranged as it has annoyed the Captain.