Similar is the case of Ansari. Mayawati had removed him from the post of APC after it was reported that his wife, Asma Hussain, a fashion designer, had organised a show at their official residence. The ouster had led to a hue and cry, with both Muslim clerics and the community’s political leaders terming it a conspiracy to bring down a Muslim officer. A disappointed Ansari wrote in his explanation letter to the Government that “an anti-Muslim lobby was behind the whole episode”. Ansari was the seniormost officer, with strong prospects of being promoted to the post of Chief Secretary.

Now, with an eye on the Lok Sabha polls, Mayawati has brought back Ansari. She had posted A K Gupta, who is one year junior to Ansari, as Chief Secretary. And so, for the first time a senior officer, holding the charge of APC, will report to a Chief Secretary who is his junior. However, least concerned about the bureaucratic protocol, the BSP chief has achieved her purpose. The Muslim clerics have thanked her for a ‘sensible decision’.