UP in 2010: Ayodhya title verdict,scams,Amar exit et al

The parties did not have smooth sailings either as they had their own cup of woes. The big news was Samajwadi Party expelling Amar Singh and Jaya Prada for “anti-party activities”.

If there was one field that earned accolades for the state,it was sports with athletes as also cricketers excelling in international events.

After 60 years of litigation over the title of land being claimed by both Hindus and Muslims in Ayodhya,a three-judge bench in Lucknow delivered its verdict last September tifurcating the disputed land among Ram Lala Virajman,Nirmohi Akhara and the Sunni Central Waqf Baord while maintaining that the place is the birthplace of Lord Ram.

Though the verdict failed to satisfy the parties involved in the case and they resolved to move the Supreme Court against it,the responsible manner in which the public reacted to it,despite certain provocations,indicated coming of age of the religiously-conscious people of the state.

Though the title suits in the Ayodhya case reached its culmination point,the Babri mosque demolition case going on in a special Rae Bareli court entered a new phase with Anju Gupta (IPS),then security officer of L K Advani deposing against the BJP leader who she said gave fiery speeches in Ayodhya on the fateful day.

The calm of the state was shattered by the blast at Varanasi’s Dashashwamedh ghat as the year was drawing to a close,claiming two lives and injuries to several others.

In the earlier part of 2010,as many as 63 people,including women and children,died in a stampede at the Mangarh Ashram of Kripaluji Maharaj in Pratapgarh. The devotees had gathered there for the ‘bhandara’ on the death anniversary of Maharaj’s wife and were clamouring for utensils which were being distributed on the occasion when the gates of the ashram fell leading to the stampede.

The glory of the state’s bureaucracy was dwindled by the conviction of former chief secretary Neera Yadav in the Noida land allotment case and the district magistrate of Mathura being transferred on the court directives over the panchayat elections.

On the political front,Samajwadi Party faced one of the most trying times in its history with poor electoral fortunes in the Vidhan Parishad and Assembly bypolls and one of its senior leader Janeshwar Misra’s death.

The problems reached its crescendo forcing the expulsion of Amar Singh and Jaya Prada from the party after which the top leadership had to bend backwards issuing a public apology for siding with the hardline Hindutva leader Kalyan Singh in the last Lok Sabha elections to pave the way for the return of its most popular Muslims face,Azam Khan.

Though the expulsion failed to evoke any revolt like situation in the party,as feared,it started a phase of counter allegations with Amar Singh crossing swords with SP leaders to settle scores,while struggling to find his individual foothold in Uttar Pradesh politics with the help of Mumbai cine stars.

For the BJP,the year was eventless but the infighting in the Congress over the reappointment of the UPCC chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi and continuing spar over the government’s alleged lackadaisical attitude over implementation of central schemes and the flagging off of Congress ‘sandesh yatras’ by Rahul Gandhi kept it in news all through the year.

A garland of notes presented to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati at a party rally in Lucknow in March proved to be a major embarrassment for her with opposition going all out attacking her claims of being a messiah of Dalits and poor and seeking the source of such an exorbitant gift.

Corruption charges continued to bog the government with parts of the newly constructed bridge,godown,chimney in a thermal power plant and medical college collapsing. The divestment deals of sugar mills have also come in for severe criticism.

The attack on minister for institutional finance Nand Gopal Nandi in Allahabad,naming of BSP MLA Chandra Bhadra Singh in the murder of a revenue department official over panchayat elections rivalry and other such incidents besides their subsequent handling by the state police gave ample opportunities to the opposition to bash the government on the issue of law and order.

Sportpersons were the real stars. Sudha Singh,Renu Bala Chanu,Alka Tomar,Omkar Singh,Ashish Kumar,Imran Hasan Khan,Suresh Raina and Pravin Kumar contributed to national glory in the Commonwealth Games,Asiad as also cricket tourneys.

The attack on the lady police officer by her subordinates over extortion in Bareilly which was also a scene of communal tension earlier and four children dying after being administered measles vaccine at a government medical camp in Lucknow were some of the other important events of 2010.