"A mecca for show of secular credentials"
The number of Iftars and festivities around Id has grown bigger in recent years. Delhi has always been a happy hunting-ground for those seeking display of symbolism. And these opportunities are being treated as occasions to display either secular credentials or powerful network. The noticeable increase in the intensity of Iftars sadly does not seem to denote anything more than just a convenient platform for the display of pulling power.
While the Prime Minister's Iftar is an extension of the government's sequential mishaps on Anna Hazare, feeding politicos and journalists at the time of agitation was a subject of discussion. The President's Iftar, on the other hand, was more of a formality. But must say never have the Congressmen missed Sonia Gandhi's presence more at these Iftar parties.
Shahnawaz Hussain and his wife played perfect hosts for a mixed bag of their political friends in one such party on their spacious home lawns. Of course, the BJP ensured that its leadership from Advani to Joshi and others from Lalu to Meira Kumar were all trotted out. But as always it was Bollywood in the form of Shatrughan Sinha and cricketer in the form of Azharuddin who got the hoi polloi excited.
The Chief Election Commissioner S.Y.Qureshi's home usually focuses its social gatherings around the music that is the man's private passion. But Id is the one occasion when music is replaced with meat.
Deliciously cooked authentic Id fare was the focus of his evening and bureaucrats rubbed shoulders with media professionals and just friends! As always in such events, there were those who stayed to enjoy the moment and those who had to scurry through to meet and greet others elsewhere. Symbolic or otherwise, the rise of cross-cultural celebrations across religions is a sign of a growing social integration.
========================================================
"Cong cronyism"
With the UP elections approaching, the first list of Congress candidates is out. It holds no surprises as the first round goes to mostly all the relatives of the leaders of the Congress party. It has the names of the wives of Congress leaders Salman Khurshid and Sanjay Singh.
A fair representation has been given to the sons and nephews of Congress leaders who will obviously become the young Gandhi's brigade. Owing to the mishandling of Anna Hazare's issue by some of the senior leaders in the Congress, the Rahul Baba brigade has got a new lease of life.
The Young Turks have been assigned to deal with the anti-party propaganda. It is learnt that Sachin Pilot, Scindia and Jitin Prasada have temporarily been given the role to look into the handling of the Press. Subsequently, the Young Turks may be shifted to UP and the other states which will be going for elections soon.
With Anna back in his village, Maharashtra's heavyweight politician Vilasrao Deshmukh's image has gone up. He played a decisive role in getting the Anna team and the UPA closer. So his supporters feel he should get a heavyweight portfolio. But it was Chief Minister Prithviraj Chauhan who made sure that Anna should not be sent to Maharashtra from Tihar.
At the right time, he saved the UPA government from committing another blunder. But Delhiites were amused by the fact that some cabinet members were missing during the Janmashtami celebrations in their constituencies lest they should face the angry public for mishandling the Anna Hazare agitation.
No comments:
Post a Comment