Confirmed ticket
As leaders of various hue and colour queue up to jump onto the BJP bandwagon, party spokesman Syed Shahnawaz Hussain has an interesting take on the phenomena. “The BJP’s ticket is a confirmed AC ticket with a guarantee to reach the destination while other parties after offering only unconfirmed tickets.”
Feet of Justice
The long delays in getting justice can make anyone lose patience, and even judges of the Supreme Court are aware of this bitter fact. Summarising this reality to a life convict who sought release from jail on account of his long incarceration, a SC judge last week said, “Kanoon ke haath lambe hote hain par paer chote hain” (The hands of law are long but feet are small). Justice BS Chauhan’s comment had the entire courtroom laughing. The judge went on to explain, “This is the reality in our country. law will ultimately catch up with you but nobody knows when it will.”
For Fear of Pepper Spray
The recent pepper spray episode in Parliament echoed in the Supreme Court last week. Impressed by the oratorical skills of senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi in an education-related case in Supreme Court last week, a judge happened to suggest to him, “Why don’t you contest electionsIJ You can get a chance to raise these issues in Parliament.” At this Rohatgi replied, “At least, here I get paid to place my views, there I might get just pepper spray.”
Kharge triumphs
Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge rarely loses his cool. But in the last Friday’s Cabinet meeting, Kharge fumed when Finance Minister P Chidambaram tried to shoot down a proposal to set up a rail coach factory at Kolar in Karnataka by citing various financial constraints. After several Cabinet Ministers rallied behind Kharge, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh intervened and approved Kharge’s pet project.
Moily vs Jayanthi
Environment Minister Veerappa Moily never misses a chance to run down his predecessor Jayanthi Natarajan. last week, he did the same. Justifying his ministry’s decision to grant s clearance to Genetically Modified crops, he said, “The ministry was sitting over it one year owing to some misconception. I am a law abiding person, I cannot hold such decisions for so long.” Will Jayanthi break her silence on MoilyIJ
lalu’s gambit
After cold shouldered by the Congress leaders, who have kept lalu Prasad Yadav guessing on alliance talks, the RJD chief has now decided to call the Congress’ bluff. Aware that his arch-rival and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has tightly embraced the so-called Third Front. lalu has thrown the balls in the Congress court. While a section of the Congress is eying an alliance with the JD(U), Nitish baiters feel that the JD(U) chief is conscious of his image that he would think hundreds time before deserting the new front for the Congress. “Nitish can be anything, but Ram Vilas Paswan,” quipped one of his close associates.
War widowsIJ
A number of officers and men of paramilitary forces continue to sacrifice their lives every year in enemy action/internal security duties/anti-Naxal operation and fighting militancy and extremism, but their wives are not entitled to get the status of war widows. As such, widows of such martyrs are deprived of any benefits offered by the Central and State Government under war widow quota. The Welfare and
Rehabilitation Board (WARB) under the CISF now plans to take up the issue with the Union Home Ministry seeking relief for such widows.
Belated hike
Ration money of the paramilitary recruits is supposed to enhance on April 1 every year. The ration money was last revised with effect from April 1, 2012 and fixed at `67.55 per person per day. But, no revision took place in 2013 when inflation and cost of living shot up in a big way. The paramilitary
bosses have decided now to
vigorously pursue the issue with the Union Home Ministry. The issue, according to officials, becomes important as most of the recruits come from poor socio-economic background and are
generally malnourished and nutritionally deficient.