Hit man hit
Is the IAC man, Arvind Kejriwal, becoming India’s Julian Assange? The man has adopted hit-and-run tactics with his allegations and reported revelations against the political outfits in the country. Congress has become the main target of his leaks and disclosures, which have been backed with documents. In the AICC, the top Congress leaders are looking for an idea or opportunity to “legally” put an end to Kejriwal’s diatribes. In closed door meetings the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi has directed her legal brains to try to stop Kejriwal. Also worried is the HRD minister, Kapil Sibal. In the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, Kejriwal has indicated that he might be contesting against him. If the IAC man manages to sustain his fight against the Congress, Sibal might find it difficult to romp home during the forthcoming general elections.
Congressmen at their wits' end
Once again Congressmen are at their wits end. The union law minister, Salman Khurshid’s alleged threat to Arvind Kejriwal has embarrassed the party. Congress has decided to try play down his remarks and if this goes beyond control, the party might try to distance itself. There are also rumours that if Khurshid episode gets murkier, the union minister might be left to fend for himself.
Salman blood dance
Following the allegations against the law minister, Salman Khurshid, all’s not well in Uttar Pradesh for the party. Some of the State unit leaders have approached the Congress high command to get a new Muslim face for the party in UP. They have complained that Khurshid has become a liability for the State unit. Given his track record in UP politics, even the Congress is having doubts about his significance in UP’s electoral politics, some Congress leaders whispered. Meanwhile the slogan being coined by UP Muslims, supporting Congress goes as Manga that Musalman, bhej diya Salman (we asked for a Musalman, they sent Salman).
Hot after caste vote
As the politics of reservation heats up, the upper castes are also demanding a separate commission to redress their grievances at the Centre and at the State levels. On a petition filed in the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, the court has asked the Centre and State government to consider setting up of an Upper Caste Commission
The division bench has directed the governments to decide within two months the representation of the petitioner by which he raised the issue of setting up of a commission for the higher castes.
Killers as prison VIPs
Marxist law giving special status to political prisoners in West Bengal may soon be tweaked to avoid threats of its misuse by the Maoists and terrorists alike. The Centre has asked Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool government to revist the Correctional Services Act, 1992 brought in by the erstwhile Left Front Government in West Bengal. The MHA swung into action after a Kolkata court recently declared nine suspected Maoists arrested by the National Investigation Agency for running an arms manufacturing units as ‘political prisoners’. The prisoners included CPI (Maoist) top commander Sadula Ramkrishna who was allegedly responsible for manufactuirng rocket launchers for the banned outfit. The move has raised heckles in the Union Home Ministry which is now worried that terrorist outfits like the Indian Mujahideen, LTTE, among others may also try to take recourse in the law to guise their acts of violence as ‘politicial’ while demanding for themselves status of ‘political prisoners’ and special treatment under the law.
A new wedding venue
The BSP chief, Mayawati’s parks and memorials in Lucknow will now be turned into venues for weddings. The proposal has apparently been discussed and approved by the Uttar Pradesh administration. The government has decided against building schools and hospitals in these parks and memorials as the move might seem politically incorrect. So, the next venue for tying the knot could well be in Mayawati’s turf.
