New Delhi: Did you know that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is an ardent football fan? During an informal interaction with journalists over mangoes, Yogi revealed that he had stayed up until around 3 am to watch the FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina.
Recalling the match, the CM said he believed Spain deserved to win because of the way they managed to contain Lionel Messi. “Itne bade player ko dharashahi kardia, vo kabil-e-tareef tha. Bade khiladiyon ko dharashahi karna asaan nahin hota (they made such a great player struggle. Bringing a player of that stature under control is no easy task. It was worthy of praise),” he asserted.
While some journalists laughed, even the officials present there couldn’t hide their smile. They saw Yogi’s remark in the context of his future challenges in Delhi, although the CM made no such mention. Yogi also said he makes it a point to watch major football matches whenever possible.
‘Praise D.K. Shivakumar’
A meeting convened to express solidarity with the farming community over the intensifying Cauvery river water row ended up leaving the speakers red-faced.
Jayamala, actor-politician and president of the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC), spent the better part of her press conference talking about the issue. However, what was whispered to her was captured on mics and has since gone viral.
Rockline Venkatesh, a prominent film producer, was seated next to Jayamala, coaching and nudging her on important topics. “Praise D.K. Shivakumar properly,” he was heard telling her, mentioning the chief minister.
Jayamala is a former minister and Congress MLC and a close aide of former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah. Venkatesh is a close aide of former Mandya MP and BJP leader Sumalatha Ambareesh.
‘Homeless’ Telangana Chief Secretary
After being whisked away from central deputation a month ago, Telangana’s new Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju is effectively homeless.
Although his predecessors opted for grander residences, the official bungalow allotted to the Chief Secretary, Bungalow #4, is occupied by N. Uttam Reddy, minister for irrigation and civil supplies.
Jaju, who is now housed at the government’s Dilkusha Guest House in Hyderabad, is not even able to occupy the luxurious Kundanbagh housing enclave, which has dozens of villas, since they are all occupied by All India Service officers from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh who refuse to hand over the keys despite bifurcation happening over a decade ago.
The grapevine has it that with some of the Andhra officers being his seniors, and others his colleagues, the Chief Secretary, who has just stepped into his new role, would not like to antagonise them.
The opposition, which has found another reason to decry Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s high-handedness, has taken a jibe, saying that HYDRAA, the organisation he set up to clear illegal squatters in the city, has been able to force only the poor to vacate their homes, not the elite bureaucrats.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
Also Read: Why Haryana IAS officers are turning on each other & the new ‘P’ in Akhilesh’s ‘PDA’