Lucknow Police to start 'masking drive' in the city, procures 50,000 masks

Income source unmasked

The Lucknow Police have procured 50,000 masks from the state rural development department for distribution among those found in public places without wearing one. This will serve two purposes. The department will have an additional income and people who refuse to wear them will be covered up. Not that these masks are free. While offenders are liable to pay Rs 500 as penalty for not wearing masks, they are also supposed to buy two masks for Rs 10 on the spot. Lucknow Police Commissioner Sujeet Pandey is at the forefront of the “masking” drive by conducting surprise checks at important intersections in the city and even pulling up policemen if they are found to be lax in following safety protocols.

Eggs in different baskets

After the defection of Jyotiraditya Scindia and his loyal MLAs in March, two more Congress legislators left the party in the last two weeks. First, Bada Malehara MLA Pradyumna Singh Lodhi and then Sumitra Devi Kasdekar from the Nepanagar seat quit the party and joined the ruling BJP. Lodhi was made chairman of the MP Civil Supplies Corporation with cabinet rank the day he joined the BJP. Like Lodhi, Kasdekar has not ascribed any reason for her resignation, but those in the know say the ruling party is wooing a clutch of Congress MLAs because it wants to reduce its dependence on Scindia’s supporters. That’s because, they say, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was under pressure from team Scindia while allotting ministerial berths and departments. With these two resignations, 26 seats have fallen vacant for by-election.

A princely tale

They are known as the “babalog” of the Congress. The latest speculation in political circles is that the “babalog”, or princelings, born to leading politicians, could join forces to negotiate collectively and get a better bargain from either their parent party or the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). According to sources, there is already pressure on rebel Congress leader Sachin Pilot from the legislators who have supported him to negotiate with the BJP. These legislators do not see much hope in Pilot launching a party. But there are others who believe the younger generation in the Congress should form a breakaway group that could help get them a better bargain. The Congress’s Uttar Pradesh leader Jitin Prasada, Maharashtra’s Milind Deora, and a couple of others are being spoken of as possible leaders of this breakaway group. Tripura’s Pradyot Deb Barman, who had quit the party last year, could be a welcome addition.