Show of solidarity: Mayawati fires Jay Prakash who criticised Rahul Gandhi

Show of solidarity
 
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati's self-appointed spokesperson Jay Prakash Singh, who was also the party's national vice-president and one of the two national coordinators, has been sacked. Singh, who had, just days ago, declared, “the entire country wants to see behenji (as Mayawati is popularly known) as prime minister”, got the boot over his comment on Congress president Rahul Gandhi. At a meeting of BSP workers he alleged that if Rahul Gandhi had been like his father, the late Rajiv Gandhi, there was some hope. But since he had followed in the footsteps of his mother, Sonia Gandhi, who is a "foreigner", he would never succeed in Indian politics. In what is widely seen as a show of solidarity with the Congress, Mayawati said she took Singh's "personal views" seriously and that such views were against her party's "culture".

 
No report card
 

Looks like the Nitish Kumar (pictured) government in Bihar will give one of its annual rituals a miss this year. Ever since he came to power in November 2005, Kumar has been presenting an annual report card on the performance of his government. The current government in the state will complete a year in office on July 27 but there is no word on preparing the report which is based on data collected from different departments. Last year too, the report card was not presented and Kumar had said then that the government had been formed just three months ago so there was no question of an "annual" report. Many had concluded from the answer that the report card would be released on the completion of a year in office.

 
All's in a name
 
At Tuesday's all-party meeting on the eve of the Monsoon session of Parliament, YSR Congress Rajya Sabha member V Vijayasai Reddy threatened to walk out. Reddy became upset when he saw the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs had kept space for Lok Sabha member Renuka Butta as the representative from his party. Reddy enquired if the ministry had received any letter from his party that Butta would be representing YSRCP at the meeting. He said it was unfortunate that the ministry could not keep track of political developments. Butta had joined the Telugu Desam Party last year. Reddy agreed to take part in the meeting only after Butta's nameplate was replaced by his.