All in the game

Both bitterness and bonhomie between political rivals was at display in the Rajya Sabha as they traded charges on the issue of political developments in Gujarat.  Congress member Anand Sharma claimed that the ruling party was using the police to “steal” his party's MlA to influence the Rajya Sabha polls in the state.  Minister of State for agriculture Purshottam Rupala, who hails from Gujarat, vehemently denied the charge leading to a slanging match between the two.  After the House was adjourned due to din, the two were seen cracking jokes with each other and even Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi joined in.

Playing with fire

Congress disrupted lok Sabha proceedings in successive days on the lynching issue  shouting slogans against Government in the well of the house uninterruptedly. Congress leader  Mallikarjun Kharge clashed  with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar  saying “ AAp aag , lagatain hain aur, aag mein petrol dalte hain..” , to which  Kumar quipped “ AAp Aag lagana bhi Jante hain aur Aag bujhana bhi..”.

Privacy on Paper

The mention of Pakistan brought humour to the ongoing right to privacy debate in the Supreme Court last week. The nine-Judge bench hearing the plea for treating privacy as a fundamental right was  told by senior advocate Kapil Sibal that Pakistan's Constitution Article 14 expressly recognises right to privacy as an “inviolable” right. But considering how the country has been ruled over the years by military dictators, who care two hoots for democracy, Sibal said, “this right is a joke there,” urging the Court to ensure that if privacy of citizens is to be protected it should not be a farce.

Clean bowled

That the outgoing Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay is fond of cricket was evident from the fact that he frequently used cricket analogies during his media briefings. During a recent interaction, when a reporter asked him the kind of Chinese interference India is facing in J&K and West Bengal, Baglay termed the query as a “no-ball” adding that he won't comment on statement by politicians. Following this, a reporter urged Baglay not to use cricket analogies as she didn't understand the intricacies of the game and asked details of NSA's visit to China. However, Baglay stumped her by saying: “Well, this was a dead ball”. The next query too saw Baglay batting well on the pitch. The question was on ongoing tension with China in the Sikkim sector and whether  Bhutan had asked for India's help. “Now I cannot get into saying that whether the ball came first and then the batsman went forward or whether the batsman had taken a stand before the ball was bowled.” By now the journalists were clean bowled.

Cabinet Reshuffle

Rumour mills came alive with speculation of Cabinet reshuffle  after BJP president Amit Shah filed nomination to Rajya Sabha. Many minister have additional portfolios, making reshuffle imminent after the monsoon session of parliament. But few aspirants are ready to hazard any guess. “ Keeps me out of it,” is the refrain media persons face when they approach any MP to explore the speculation. They know it too well that in the present scheme  of things expressing political ambition in public can be costly. 

What a speech!

Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh's monotonous reply to the debate on farmers crisis created a situation  when even Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien warned him to cut short or else “he would be forced to adjourn the House.” Sensing that Kurien meant business,  a BJP member went to Singh and whispered him to complete his reply. The Minister's long and dull reply became a cause of such  exasperation for the members that  Congress leader Digvijay Singh said “it was my fault” to seek a discussion on the farmers' issues.  By the time Singh crossed one hour and 15 minutes, all the Opposition members left the House. When the Minister finished his speech and the Opposition members returned, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi  quipped, “The Agriculture Minister could not even complete half of his statement.”