Never have the Sarkari officers had it so good. In this UPA Sarkar they never retire. There are so many officers who should have sat at home 16 years back but are still enjoying lucrative postings. In 1992, M K Narayanan retired from the post of I B chief. Some have been adjusted in the P.M.O itself. He was NSA for five years and now he is the Governor of West Bengal. He has been replaced by another retired officer but 15 years younger. Shiv Shankar Menon, another of Manmohan’s blue eyed boys. 76-years old N N Vohra, the J&K Governor retired 16 years ago. T K A Nair, PMs Principal secretary retired 13 years back. But is going strong still. Five retired secretaries - Rahul Sarin, Satayanand Mishra, A N Tiwari, L K Joshi and Pratyush Sinha - belonging to Ministry of Personnel, have been posted at different places. All the three Election Commissioners - Naveen Chawla, S Y Quraishi and V S Sampat – retired long time back but are still ruling at the top whereas their posts are concerned.
=================================================
Rahul Gandhi has learnt it pays well to hit hard now. No more going soft on the opposition. Rahul created waves in Bihar by challenging Nitish Kumar in his Press conference. He emphatically raised issues like corruption and money spent on development of Bihar. Lalu used to criticize Nitish, but Rahul was not soft in Nitish’s home turf at all. He emphasized that the money allocated for schools, villages and NREGA is being absorbed by middlemen and the Central Government is not giving any money as there is no guarantee that it will reach the people. Rahul’s this trip was an indication that the Congress would fight aggressively in Bihar. And he has given the green signal to his people there by being the first to attack. The Congress walas body language has changed. They believe that their party is headed for better times, given the response of the people particularly the youths, to their young leader.
In the past 12 years when the party allowed itself to be dominated by Lalu, Congressmen remained content playing second fiddle. When the Congress was part of the coalition government headed by Rabri Devi, nobody from the party dared to question Lalu over any of his decisions. Rahul said that the alliance with Lalu was a mistake. Congressmen feel that they have to stand on its feet without Lalu’s crutches. It performed disastrously in the Lok Sabha polls but its decision to go it alone gave the party men the much needed boost. The Congress’ remarkable turn around in Uttar Pradesh in the last general elections under Rahul’s leadership also made them realize that similar results, if not better, could be possible in Bihar. It was under a well thought-out strategy that Rahul launched his ‘mission Bihar’ this month. Rahul’s visit was an unqualified success in the sense that he was not only able to draw the youths but also forced his opponents to sit up and take notice.
===================================================
New boss new style new people in control.The BJP headquarters are witnessing the effects of a regime change. Nitin Gadkari has changed the whole lot of the old guard. Most of his new team is from Nagpur his home constituency. To make their presence felt they are regularly shouting “Purani style bhool jaoo (forget your old style)”. Seems like a new slogan. However small, the power shift everyone seems to be falling in line. The old guys are a bit insecure and are playing the old game of wait and watch. It seems that this new President is a tough nut to crack. He has the right people backing him and the approach till now is diplomatic. But he is a smooth operator and never misses anything big or small. He is willing to be respectful to his elders but is firm on his stand. But the old timers are not going to sit quiet for long.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
'The Tribune-Chatterati'8th.February.2010
Mayawati’s latest move of adopting a bill, OHMSS could even stand for “On Her Majesty’s Statue Service!” Maya has set up special task force (STF) of 1,000 policemen to guard the 10 memorials in UP featuring Mayawati’s statues along with those of Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram. The Supreme Court had taken a stern action and put a stay for such memorials where crores of rupees of public money were being spent. The state Government did not immediately explain how the elite force would function. Huge funds have already been spent. The Lucknow statues and memorials alone cost Rs 2,600 crore annually for their maintenance.
So, it is certain for Maya that rival parties, particularly members of the Samajwadi Party, will try to damage these structures. Hence the squad. But will it protect them from all those harbouring nefarious designs. Will a land based force foil pigeons which relieve themselves on statues in even the most developed nations? Even London’s Trafalgar Square has to be scrubbed to remove traces of bird droppings. If Lucknow’s pigeons are as poorly toilet-trained as their London counterparts, the only way to maintain the pristine purity of the Mayawati memorials would be to have a mini air-force of pilots in planes to chase away approaching birds. And then competitions could be held to decide which is the cleanest memorial and the officer in charge could be fast tracked for promotion!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The choosing of personalities for confrontment of Bharat Ratna and Padama awards is done by a high level committee. The citizens of India are not very sure that the committee goes through every person’s name carefully that it is not tainted and it is deservingly conferred because of their exception and distinguished services to the nation. These awardees are a pride to the nation.
This year there is a lot of hue and cry from all quarters on whether Chatwal, the hotelier from New York was eligible for the award. There were many cases pending on Mr. Chatwal with the CBI for which he was given a clean chit, but does that make you eligible for the award? Was his lobbying if true for the nuclear deal in the U.S enough material that all his suspect cases in India are washed off?
There is a mechanism for choosing the awardees but people who have been it’s part have disclosed how they are observed in the breach. If this is how it works now why persist with a system that reminds us of the colonial era when awards and titles were conferred merely as a form of patronage and favour now especially to ‘A’ political party in power.
Governments should now correct the system and not use the Padma awards as a system of patronage and repayment of favours. These awards should not be used for political purposes. It turns particularly shady when you are giving it to business people or spiritual leaders who should know better than take awards.
Criteria should not be merely excellence, but “excellence plus,” a lifetime achievement. No guidelines seems to have been followed in general as the awards committee is not given reports of tax or criminal records of the prospective awardees. If the Prime Minister is so bent on changing the systems then this should be high on his priority list. Because we really don’t want tax evaders and suspects being awarded and make us feel that once again honesty, hardwork and dedication can be by-passed by some wheeler dealer who has the right connections.
So, it is certain for Maya that rival parties, particularly members of the Samajwadi Party, will try to damage these structures. Hence the squad. But will it protect them from all those harbouring nefarious designs. Will a land based force foil pigeons which relieve themselves on statues in even the most developed nations? Even London’s Trafalgar Square has to be scrubbed to remove traces of bird droppings. If Lucknow’s pigeons are as poorly toilet-trained as their London counterparts, the only way to maintain the pristine purity of the Mayawati memorials would be to have a mini air-force of pilots in planes to chase away approaching birds. And then competitions could be held to decide which is the cleanest memorial and the officer in charge could be fast tracked for promotion!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The choosing of personalities for confrontment of Bharat Ratna and Padama awards is done by a high level committee. The citizens of India are not very sure that the committee goes through every person’s name carefully that it is not tainted and it is deservingly conferred because of their exception and distinguished services to the nation. These awardees are a pride to the nation.
This year there is a lot of hue and cry from all quarters on whether Chatwal, the hotelier from New York was eligible for the award. There were many cases pending on Mr. Chatwal with the CBI for which he was given a clean chit, but does that make you eligible for the award? Was his lobbying if true for the nuclear deal in the U.S enough material that all his suspect cases in India are washed off?
There is a mechanism for choosing the awardees but people who have been it’s part have disclosed how they are observed in the breach. If this is how it works now why persist with a system that reminds us of the colonial era when awards and titles were conferred merely as a form of patronage and favour now especially to ‘A’ political party in power.
Governments should now correct the system and not use the Padma awards as a system of patronage and repayment of favours. These awards should not be used for political purposes. It turns particularly shady when you are giving it to business people or spiritual leaders who should know better than take awards.
Criteria should not be merely excellence, but “excellence plus,” a lifetime achievement. No guidelines seems to have been followed in general as the awards committee is not given reports of tax or criminal records of the prospective awardees. If the Prime Minister is so bent on changing the systems then this should be high on his priority list. Because we really don’t want tax evaders and suspects being awarded and make us feel that once again honesty, hardwork and dedication can be by-passed by some wheeler dealer who has the right connections.
'The Tribune-Chatterati'1st.February.2010
The BJP, Samajwadi Party, RJD and the BSP have joined hands and are now planning separate agitations against the price rise. While the Congress appears to be trying to put Pawar in the dock, the astute NCP leader has reached out to the SP and the RJD to insulate him against a Congress attack. While Mayawati has demanded the removal of Pawar. Mulayam Singh Yadav and Lalu are busy blaming the Centre. They all also have their own personal reasons too.
Lalu is miffed with Rahul Gandhi for dumping the Congress-RJD alliance in the state. He blames the faulty policies of the Congress, to the soaring prices. Mulayam Singh is indebted to Pawar for not admitting Amar Singh into the NCP. But even then Pawar’s woes are unlikely to end soon. Price rise is one of the main issues to be discussed at the Congress Working Committee meet scheduled for the first week of February. Some Congress fellows are lobbying to shift Pawar from the agriculture portfolio. Apart from agriculture and food, Pawar controls civil supplies, consumer affairs and public distribution.
Some want his portfolios to go the NDA way. Under the BJP-led NDA, food and consumer affairs formed separate ministries. Congress insiders, however, felt it would be difficult for the Prime Minister to clip Pawar’s portfolio as he is a key coalition partner. Any such move could spell trouble for the Congress-NCP Government in Maharashtra. The Congress is in a Catch 22 situation. It cannot touch Pawar and the aam admi are questioning the credentials of Manmohan Singh Government.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amar Singh celebrated his birthday along with his brothers Amitabh Bachchan and Anil Ambani. Not on a large scale though this year. No show of power, money or Bollywood. Maturity seems to be Amar’s formula now. No press too. But Amar’s birthday was not without controversy and Amar Singh of course loves controversies. Mulayam Singh has finally made up his mind about Amar Singh ouster from his party. Amar has challenged to fight from the Badaun parliamentary seat which is a sure win he thinks. The new spokesperson has asked Amar to resign from his Rajya Sabha seat. This suggestion obviously came into being in consultation with Mulayam Singh and family. All the other posts that Amar Singh had resigned of the Samajwadi party, Mohan Singh has stepped into them. May be Mohan Singh wants the Rajya Sabha too?
Amar Singh’s left the Samajwadi party claiming that his weak health does not go well with politics. They say there is much more to it than that meets the eye. Amar Singh is now working towards the mobilizing of Thakurs. With Sanjay Dutt also out now from Samajwadi party one is left wondering what will happen to the two Jaya’s in the Samajwadi party now. They were a part of the Amar Singh’s brigade and inseparable from Amar. Will they follow their leader and resign or in the coming days will Amar and Mulayam make up once again? Amar Singh does not have a choice of joining any other political party as nobody has opened their doors for him. Unfortunately as always other parties in U.P are trying to gain maximum from this in-house fight of the Samajwadi. Also now keeping in mind that there is now no one with witty sarcastic one liners that Amar was famous for to save his former boss Mulayam.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Most political leaders talk less and work more. In the Congress it is better to be tight lipped and the new lot of politicians also believe in this formula. Any wrong word uttered out of your mouth could cost you your chair. But Shashi Tharoor is of course a class apart. He has made a name for himself by tweeting two much. Good or bad publicity is a must for a politician. Many serious Congress men like P.Chidambaram are not impressed by Tharoor and his tweeting habits. When Tharoor recently came into news after allegedly criticizing Jawaharlal Nehru’s foreign policy, someone asked
P. Chidambaram, “Do you tweet, sir?” Pat came the reply: “No, I bleat.” P. Chidambaram is of course a non - nonsense man. It is amazing that Shashi Tharoor has got into trouble time and again over his twittering but he never learns. Even after he was ticked off by the Congress President and the Prime Minister, he carries on unashamedly twittering away and putting himself and his party in the most embarrassing situations. He is either over confident of his position or doesn’t care about his senior’s advice. He has to learn some political acumen if he wants to survive for long and he better learn fast as his colleague’s patience is waring away. And the spokesmen of the party are fed up of covering up for him I am sure. They have many more serious issues to concentrate on.
Lalu is miffed with Rahul Gandhi for dumping the Congress-RJD alliance in the state. He blames the faulty policies of the Congress, to the soaring prices. Mulayam Singh is indebted to Pawar for not admitting Amar Singh into the NCP. But even then Pawar’s woes are unlikely to end soon. Price rise is one of the main issues to be discussed at the Congress Working Committee meet scheduled for the first week of February. Some Congress fellows are lobbying to shift Pawar from the agriculture portfolio. Apart from agriculture and food, Pawar controls civil supplies, consumer affairs and public distribution.
Some want his portfolios to go the NDA way. Under the BJP-led NDA, food and consumer affairs formed separate ministries. Congress insiders, however, felt it would be difficult for the Prime Minister to clip Pawar’s portfolio as he is a key coalition partner. Any such move could spell trouble for the Congress-NCP Government in Maharashtra. The Congress is in a Catch 22 situation. It cannot touch Pawar and the aam admi are questioning the credentials of Manmohan Singh Government.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amar Singh celebrated his birthday along with his brothers Amitabh Bachchan and Anil Ambani. Not on a large scale though this year. No show of power, money or Bollywood. Maturity seems to be Amar’s formula now. No press too. But Amar’s birthday was not without controversy and Amar Singh of course loves controversies. Mulayam Singh has finally made up his mind about Amar Singh ouster from his party. Amar has challenged to fight from the Badaun parliamentary seat which is a sure win he thinks. The new spokesperson has asked Amar to resign from his Rajya Sabha seat. This suggestion obviously came into being in consultation with Mulayam Singh and family. All the other posts that Amar Singh had resigned of the Samajwadi party, Mohan Singh has stepped into them. May be Mohan Singh wants the Rajya Sabha too?
Amar Singh’s left the Samajwadi party claiming that his weak health does not go well with politics. They say there is much more to it than that meets the eye. Amar Singh is now working towards the mobilizing of Thakurs. With Sanjay Dutt also out now from Samajwadi party one is left wondering what will happen to the two Jaya’s in the Samajwadi party now. They were a part of the Amar Singh’s brigade and inseparable from Amar. Will they follow their leader and resign or in the coming days will Amar and Mulayam make up once again? Amar Singh does not have a choice of joining any other political party as nobody has opened their doors for him. Unfortunately as always other parties in U.P are trying to gain maximum from this in-house fight of the Samajwadi. Also now keeping in mind that there is now no one with witty sarcastic one liners that Amar was famous for to save his former boss Mulayam.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Most political leaders talk less and work more. In the Congress it is better to be tight lipped and the new lot of politicians also believe in this formula. Any wrong word uttered out of your mouth could cost you your chair. But Shashi Tharoor is of course a class apart. He has made a name for himself by tweeting two much. Good or bad publicity is a must for a politician. Many serious Congress men like P.Chidambaram are not impressed by Tharoor and his tweeting habits. When Tharoor recently came into news after allegedly criticizing Jawaharlal Nehru’s foreign policy, someone asked
P. Chidambaram, “Do you tweet, sir?” Pat came the reply: “No, I bleat.” P. Chidambaram is of course a non - nonsense man. It is amazing that Shashi Tharoor has got into trouble time and again over his twittering but he never learns. Even after he was ticked off by the Congress President and the Prime Minister, he carries on unashamedly twittering away and putting himself and his party in the most embarrassing situations. He is either over confident of his position or doesn’t care about his senior’s advice. He has to learn some political acumen if he wants to survive for long and he better learn fast as his colleague’s patience is waring away. And the spokesmen of the party are fed up of covering up for him I am sure. They have many more serious issues to concentrate on.
'The Tribune-Chatterati' 25th.January.2010
No BJP Chief Minister can beat the astute Narendra Modi. You cannot ignore the political acumen of the Gujarat Chief Minister. He has perfected the art of subtly making political capital out of all occasions. Whether they are celebrations or moments of solemnity. His dress sense changes according to the occasions. Clad in a jersey and sporting big glares. Mr. Modi was out flying kites with the people on Makar Sankranti, one of Gujarat’s most loved festivals. He chose six locations in Ahmedabad where he flew kites, interacted with people and shared their home made food. In short he floored his constituency people. Interestingly all the six locations he chose were areas where the BJP needed to strengthen itself. As the Municipal Corporation elections approach Modi knows that his flying kites on a local terrace or eating a home made till ka laddoo is something the locals will remember when they go to cast their vote. Modi’s ambitions are as high enough, you will even fly kites.
He is going all out to prove his secular credentials these days. He inaugurated an international seminar on Buddhism. His plan to set up a big Buddhist temple too with a centre for research with the Dalai Lama by his side. He also propagated the message of love and compassion. Now that is a changed Modi no doubt.
*************************************************************************
Understatement is certainly not the forte of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mayawati. After declaring that her birthday celebrations on January 15 would be low-key she really stretched the definition of “low-key” till the phrase bursts.
“Blue” were all the parks and memorials in Lucknow were lit up with blue Chinese lights. Hoardings, sponsored by BSP leaders, were plastered all over the state capital all in shades of blue, which happens to be the BSP’s colour too. There were also blue banners, blue balloons, blue arches and even blue elephants. Inside the auditorium where Behenji unveiled projects for the poor, blue orchids were put up on walls. Thank God there was no customary cake cutting in public this year – or else enthusiastic loyalties would have painted it blue too.
**********************************************************************************
Mayawati has also been gifted a three-acre plot – on nothing less than the moon! Gifted by a party leader.
He purchased the lunar plot from US-based Lunar Republic Society. The society openly sells plots on the moon. It also has registration papers signed by its member-secretary .But one does not know the price that has been paid for the plot.
Of course, when a gift is being given to Behenji, its price is immaterial. It is the feeling that matters. This year Behenji announced welfare programmes and development schemes worth a whopping Rs 7,312 crore. Well she is the only politician who has reached where no politician has. The moon that is.
******************************************************************************
Today mothers, it seems, can go to any lengths to ‘bestow God’s blessings’ upon their children. Even if it means risking their own or their baby’s health. And sadly the doctor goes along with it.
A woman in the Capital chose to deliver her baby prematurely so as to coincide the birth with Makar Sankranti, a festival which is considered auspicious by Hindus.
Now a day’s gynecologists give the mothers to be a choice of natural birth, water baby birth and a cesarean. If the mother to be is into astrology she can ask her astrologer what is an auspicious day time to give birth. Then the doctor also obliges as it holds no pain and according to your convenience.
He is going all out to prove his secular credentials these days. He inaugurated an international seminar on Buddhism. His plan to set up a big Buddhist temple too with a centre for research with the Dalai Lama by his side. He also propagated the message of love and compassion. Now that is a changed Modi no doubt.
*************************************************************************
Understatement is certainly not the forte of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mayawati. After declaring that her birthday celebrations on January 15 would be low-key she really stretched the definition of “low-key” till the phrase bursts.
“Blue” were all the parks and memorials in Lucknow were lit up with blue Chinese lights. Hoardings, sponsored by BSP leaders, were plastered all over the state capital all in shades of blue, which happens to be the BSP’s colour too. There were also blue banners, blue balloons, blue arches and even blue elephants. Inside the auditorium where Behenji unveiled projects for the poor, blue orchids were put up on walls. Thank God there was no customary cake cutting in public this year – or else enthusiastic loyalties would have painted it blue too.
**********************************************************************************
Mayawati has also been gifted a three-acre plot – on nothing less than the moon! Gifted by a party leader.
He purchased the lunar plot from US-based Lunar Republic Society. The society openly sells plots on the moon. It also has registration papers signed by its member-secretary .But one does not know the price that has been paid for the plot.
Of course, when a gift is being given to Behenji, its price is immaterial. It is the feeling that matters. This year Behenji announced welfare programmes and development schemes worth a whopping Rs 7,312 crore. Well she is the only politician who has reached where no politician has. The moon that is.
******************************************************************************
Today mothers, it seems, can go to any lengths to ‘bestow God’s blessings’ upon their children. Even if it means risking their own or their baby’s health. And sadly the doctor goes along with it.
A woman in the Capital chose to deliver her baby prematurely so as to coincide the birth with Makar Sankranti, a festival which is considered auspicious by Hindus.
Now a day’s gynecologists give the mothers to be a choice of natural birth, water baby birth and a cesarean. If the mother to be is into astrology she can ask her astrologer what is an auspicious day time to give birth. Then the doctor also obliges as it holds no pain and according to your convenience.
'The Tribune-Chatterati'18th.January.2010
Amar Singh is at it once again. He has enough experience of throwing tantrums. Amar gets upset, sulks, makes up and then all is well.
Amar Singh is a tough player and is an old hand in politics today. One can either like Amar Singh or dislike him intensely but you just cannot ignore him. His hold on Bollywood, information on people useful or useless does come handy from time to time. He has been a master in business propositions for the Samajwadi party. As we all know politics is more or less run by business houses in this country now. So Amar is indispensable in more ways than one. He is a good bargainer for his master and he gets enough media attention for everything he does.
The younger generation of the Yadav’s do not understand the usefulness of an Amar Singh on their side. Mulayam Singh Yadav is desperate to patch up with Amar, as Amar’s loud voice and his singing can be very disturbing. Not that Amar has many choices; any other political party will have to think many times over about the qualities of taking on an Amar Singh. He is after all unique.
Many are questioning Amitabh Bachchan’s presence in Gujarat with Narender Modi. Was it a signal from Amar here? The timing was just a day before his resignation. The Congress is keeping a safe distance and the Samajwadi party members are now a bit tired of Amar’s mood swings. But he is certainly indispensable for Mulayam. And that should all become clear now in a matter of weeks.
**********************************************************************************
The silence in the BJP is deafening. Ever since the new President Gadkari took over, everyone is waiting to see what he does next. His friends are standing by his side to protect him while his foes are waiting to criticize.
The BJP delegates around 5000 of them will stay in tents during the party national council/executive meet in Indore. Gadkari has announced that Deendayal Upadhyay and his philosophy of reaching out to the last man in the queue is the roadmap for every party leader. BJP meets in the past the delegates have stayed in tents including the inaugural BJP national executive meet in Mumbai in 1980; another national executive in Mumbai in 1995 (when Advani announced Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s name as the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate) and yet another meet in Mumbai in 2005.
The “India Shining” campaign was perceived to have a distinct pro-rich bias, and Advani once stated that it should have, instead, been called “India Rising”. Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi has often said in his election speeches that the Opposition’s “India Shining” slogan reflected a pro-rich bias in contrast to the Congress’s Agenda for “Aam Aadmi”. “Staying in tents, as opposed to star hotels, is meant to send out a subtle message too.
This new arrangement has many cribbing too. The large number of tents for the party meet and removing them later, will cost a huge amount of sum. Some leaders are also said to be concerned over the presence of mosquitoes, while most are worried about toilets and hygiene in these tents. Well, these tents are comfortable but not luxurious. They will have good toilets.
****************************************************************************
The CBI is equipped to weather many a storm, from Bofors to Ruchika. Even though convictions in cases investigated by it is dismal. The Aarushi murder case less said the better. It is said, that its now a front, being the handmaiden of the party in power. Important files go missing. Amazing!
The latest disappearance is of files linked to ex-RAW Chief A.K.Verma, who allegedly diverted funds meant for LTTE operations. Missing files are the official alibi now a days, the most recent instance being the Headley visa papers. Another recent admission is the case of documents pertaining to the Rs 515.5 crore disinvestment of Balco.
Well, good luck if this is how records go missing from such an office. Even though the common man still wants to desperately trust the CBI.
Amar Singh is a tough player and is an old hand in politics today. One can either like Amar Singh or dislike him intensely but you just cannot ignore him. His hold on Bollywood, information on people useful or useless does come handy from time to time. He has been a master in business propositions for the Samajwadi party. As we all know politics is more or less run by business houses in this country now. So Amar is indispensable in more ways than one. He is a good bargainer for his master and he gets enough media attention for everything he does.
The younger generation of the Yadav’s do not understand the usefulness of an Amar Singh on their side. Mulayam Singh Yadav is desperate to patch up with Amar, as Amar’s loud voice and his singing can be very disturbing. Not that Amar has many choices; any other political party will have to think many times over about the qualities of taking on an Amar Singh. He is after all unique.
Many are questioning Amitabh Bachchan’s presence in Gujarat with Narender Modi. Was it a signal from Amar here? The timing was just a day before his resignation. The Congress is keeping a safe distance and the Samajwadi party members are now a bit tired of Amar’s mood swings. But he is certainly indispensable for Mulayam. And that should all become clear now in a matter of weeks.
**********************************************************************************
The silence in the BJP is deafening. Ever since the new President Gadkari took over, everyone is waiting to see what he does next. His friends are standing by his side to protect him while his foes are waiting to criticize.
The BJP delegates around 5000 of them will stay in tents during the party national council/executive meet in Indore. Gadkari has announced that Deendayal Upadhyay and his philosophy of reaching out to the last man in the queue is the roadmap for every party leader. BJP meets in the past the delegates have stayed in tents including the inaugural BJP national executive meet in Mumbai in 1980; another national executive in Mumbai in 1995 (when Advani announced Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s name as the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate) and yet another meet in Mumbai in 2005.
The “India Shining” campaign was perceived to have a distinct pro-rich bias, and Advani once stated that it should have, instead, been called “India Rising”. Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi has often said in his election speeches that the Opposition’s “India Shining” slogan reflected a pro-rich bias in contrast to the Congress’s Agenda for “Aam Aadmi”. “Staying in tents, as opposed to star hotels, is meant to send out a subtle message too.
This new arrangement has many cribbing too. The large number of tents for the party meet and removing them later, will cost a huge amount of sum. Some leaders are also said to be concerned over the presence of mosquitoes, while most are worried about toilets and hygiene in these tents. Well, these tents are comfortable but not luxurious. They will have good toilets.
****************************************************************************
The CBI is equipped to weather many a storm, from Bofors to Ruchika. Even though convictions in cases investigated by it is dismal. The Aarushi murder case less said the better. It is said, that its now a front, being the handmaiden of the party in power. Important files go missing. Amazing!
The latest disappearance is of files linked to ex-RAW Chief A.K.Verma, who allegedly diverted funds meant for LTTE operations. Missing files are the official alibi now a days, the most recent instance being the Headley visa papers. Another recent admission is the case of documents pertaining to the Rs 515.5 crore disinvestment of Balco.
Well, good luck if this is how records go missing from such an office. Even though the common man still wants to desperately trust the CBI.
Friday, April 2, 2010
'The Tribune-Chatterati' 11th.January.2010
Tigers going extinct, is and ought to be our major national concern. And a visit to Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan restores one’s realization that conserving nature and preserving our nature needs to be the highest priority.
Once you have spotted a tiger in the wild, everything else is a bonus. Ranthambore has lots of Cheetals, Sambhars, Chinkaras, Wild Boars and a host of other animals including Leopard but seeing a Tiger is still the ultimate thrill.
The Jaisal and Anjali Singh, owned ‘Sher Bagh’ with it’s luxurious tented accommodation and some of the most experienced forest drivers is clearly the best place to be when you visit. Ranthambore is the only national park worldwide that allows you to combine pure nature along with ancient history. It has a beautiful jewel of a pre Mughal fort that is massive and awesome in itself and as a result the park is dotted with ancient monuments through which the wildlife now roam freely and fiercely.
Today the latest estimates are that Ranthambore now has close to 40 Tigers. An energetic and efficient DFO like the one in charge currently clearly makes a difference to park morale and animal mortality. The crowds who go fairly deep into the park arrive in hordes and place an unfair burden on the Forest Department. They are neither regulated nor even policed in any real sense. Sadly the authorities have not been able to control the boorish behaviour of many tourists either who defile the park with behaviour that is uncaring for nature and the location they are in. They very often attempt to disturb animals, pay little attention to park etiquette and generally ruin the experience to those unfortunate enough to be stuck in the Park’s diesel-fume spewing Canters.
In a fast paced world, where conservation and nature are the new buzz words, the appeal to both domestic and foreign tourists is only likely to increase with years ahead. Simple tents that have superb comfort levels are only one part of Sher Bagh’s appeal. An eco-friendly approach permeates everything they do-a model for those who need to study luxury tourism micro-cosms that work well. Given a more forward looking and quality conscious tourism policy, Sher Bagh could be the model that makes an Incredible India that goes beyond the more obvious tourist trails as a magnet for global travelers in the future. Of course, this require concentrated efforts to make sure that the battle is between development, politics, man and nature is more often ,decided in favour of nature – which sadly, like Tigers, suffer simply because they do not have a vote.
*********************************************************************************
Chhotu cold not believe his luck when the Orissa CM, Naveen Patnaik called him home.
Chhotu, who used to shine shoes on a footpath close to the Chief Minister’s residence, is now the CM’s blue-eyed boy. It was about two years ago that Chhotu first met Patnaik. He had tagged along with his father, a daily wage worker, and did not go unnoticed. The CM greeted him with some chocolates.
As fate would have it, Chhotu soon lost both his parents. With their parents dead, Chhotu and his 16 year old brother started working as shoeshine boys.
But last month Patnaik was passing by the footpath when he noticed the boy again and stopped his car and asked him to come home. Chhotu was received at Patnaiks’s residence and the CM made arrangements for Chhotu to be admitted to a government school. He also gets financial assistance from the CM to meet his educational expenses.
In return, Patnaik has one thing to ask of Chhotu; under no circumstance should he bunk classes or go back to work as a shoeshine boy. No wonder this is Patnaik’s third term as CM. There are numerous stories about his sensitive and human nature.
Once you have spotted a tiger in the wild, everything else is a bonus. Ranthambore has lots of Cheetals, Sambhars, Chinkaras, Wild Boars and a host of other animals including Leopard but seeing a Tiger is still the ultimate thrill.
The Jaisal and Anjali Singh, owned ‘Sher Bagh’ with it’s luxurious tented accommodation and some of the most experienced forest drivers is clearly the best place to be when you visit. Ranthambore is the only national park worldwide that allows you to combine pure nature along with ancient history. It has a beautiful jewel of a pre Mughal fort that is massive and awesome in itself and as a result the park is dotted with ancient monuments through which the wildlife now roam freely and fiercely.
Today the latest estimates are that Ranthambore now has close to 40 Tigers. An energetic and efficient DFO like the one in charge currently clearly makes a difference to park morale and animal mortality. The crowds who go fairly deep into the park arrive in hordes and place an unfair burden on the Forest Department. They are neither regulated nor even policed in any real sense. Sadly the authorities have not been able to control the boorish behaviour of many tourists either who defile the park with behaviour that is uncaring for nature and the location they are in. They very often attempt to disturb animals, pay little attention to park etiquette and generally ruin the experience to those unfortunate enough to be stuck in the Park’s diesel-fume spewing Canters.
In a fast paced world, where conservation and nature are the new buzz words, the appeal to both domestic and foreign tourists is only likely to increase with years ahead. Simple tents that have superb comfort levels are only one part of Sher Bagh’s appeal. An eco-friendly approach permeates everything they do-a model for those who need to study luxury tourism micro-cosms that work well. Given a more forward looking and quality conscious tourism policy, Sher Bagh could be the model that makes an Incredible India that goes beyond the more obvious tourist trails as a magnet for global travelers in the future. Of course, this require concentrated efforts to make sure that the battle is between development, politics, man and nature is more often ,decided in favour of nature – which sadly, like Tigers, suffer simply because they do not have a vote.
*********************************************************************************
Chhotu cold not believe his luck when the Orissa CM, Naveen Patnaik called him home.
Chhotu, who used to shine shoes on a footpath close to the Chief Minister’s residence, is now the CM’s blue-eyed boy. It was about two years ago that Chhotu first met Patnaik. He had tagged along with his father, a daily wage worker, and did not go unnoticed. The CM greeted him with some chocolates.
As fate would have it, Chhotu soon lost both his parents. With their parents dead, Chhotu and his 16 year old brother started working as shoeshine boys.
But last month Patnaik was passing by the footpath when he noticed the boy again and stopped his car and asked him to come home. Chhotu was received at Patnaiks’s residence and the CM made arrangements for Chhotu to be admitted to a government school. He also gets financial assistance from the CM to meet his educational expenses.
In return, Patnaik has one thing to ask of Chhotu; under no circumstance should he bunk classes or go back to work as a shoeshine boy. No wonder this is Patnaik’s third term as CM. There are numerous stories about his sensitive and human nature.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)