Bric a Brac : Too big for his boots

WHEN they ruled Uttar Pradesh, Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Akhilesh Yadav did not look beyond their immediate families while distributing largesse. One such move was the appointment of Arvind Singh Bisht as the information Commissioner in UP. Who is Bisht? Well, he happens to be the father-in-law of Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav’s adopted son Prateek Yadav. Bisht, a former journalist and former Political Editor, Times of India, considered the appointment a feather in his cap. With the backing of the state bosses and Chief Minister, he reportedly started throwing tantrums in the commission. He became aggressive especially whenever the Chief Information Commissioner Jawed Usmani would proceed on leave. Usmani would give charge to another commissioner but not to Bisht. Ambitious Bisht confronted Usmani, a former DGP of UP. It is reported that Bisht said that being the senior-most, he should be given charge. But the CIC shot off that since all the Information Commissioners had been appointed on the same day, the mere fact that Bisht’s name, alphabetically only, tops the list does not make him the senior-most. Bisht was not amused with the answer and moved the courts, but the latter slammed the door on his face, rubbishing his claims.