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The Mayawati juggernaut rolls on, through four bungalows around her residence on Lucknow’s Mall Avenuedemolished, citing security reasons. Now it’s rolling into Delhi’s elite Lutyens’ Bungalow Zone. She’s already claimed one heritage building for Kanshi Ram’s memorial. Last month, she took over the neighbouring bungalow as well after a game of musical houses in which she uprooted two VIPS and got them to shift residence. One was Planning Commission Member BN Yugandhar, the other was Congress MP M K Subba.

She spread her Maya jaal perfectly. Ever since she ‘persuaded’ the UPA government to allot her a bungalow on Gurdwara Rakabganj Road for a permanent memorial to her mentor Kanshi Ram, she has been eyeing the house next door for the Delhi headquarters of the BSP. It meant relocating Yugandhar who didn’t mind changing bungalows but wanted to stay in the neighbourhood. She contacted Subba with an old IOU from the days when he ran a lottery ring in UP, and ‘suggested’ that he move to the BSP office in another part of Lutyen’s Delhi. Once he agreed, it was a piece of cake to get Yugandhar to shift to Subba’s house. The Ministry of Urban Development, which controls allotment of VIP bungalows, was a mute spectator. What Maya wants, Maya gets.

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All this heritage stuff means nothing to Mayawati except in terms of valuable real estate acquisitions. In a matter of months, she’s knocked down and remodeled the colonial bungalow on Gurdwara Rakabganj Road into a spanking modern edifice in pink sandstone for Kanshi Ram. Government guidelines forbid changing the character of the bungalows in
Lutyens’ Delhi but small things like rules have never stood in the way of Mayawati’s ambitious plans. The road is now virtually BSP territory with rows of blue flags fluttering above and giant portraits of Kanshi Ram on every lamppost. Once the BSP office moves in next door, the takeover will be complete. The juggernaut rolls on with impunity.

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There were major histrionics in the Samajwadi Party camp recently when rumblings against Amar Singh threatened to explode into full-fledged war. Singh pulled the good old resignation trick in a letter that was delivered to a meeting of senior leaders at chief Singh-baiter Janeshwar Misra’s residence. When the contents were read out, Singh loyalists, Jaya Bachchan, Jaya Pradha and Abu Asim Azmi, jumped up to say that they too would resign. They said they were with the party because of Singh and would even quit their Parliament seats in sympathy. The anti-Singh camp look discomfited in the face of a probable rebellion in the party. Mulayam Singh Yadav, who hadn’t said a word till then, pulled out his mobile phone, punched in Singh’s number and offered the phone to Misra with a soft order to apply the healing touch. Misra had little option but to talk conciliation. It seems Singh has emerged stronger after the drama, with Mulayam Singh Yadav showering glowing praises on him.

TAILPIECE
While Manmohan Singh gladly gave an interview to Germany’s leading Der Spiegel on the eve of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit, Indian correspondents were not so fortunate. A team of three journalists, who flew to Berlin at the invitation of the German foreign office returned without meeting the lady after cooling their heels for a week. No explanations forthcoming for the faux pas.

Email: a_jerath@dnaindia.net