After NCPCR, staff exodus hits National Bal Bhawan
After last week’s Grapevine report on the exodus and irregularities in the country’s child protection arm, NCPCR, officials in the Government have shared a similar kind of ‘activities’ at National Bal Bhawan, where a few employees have already quit. Some of them are on the verge of quitting, citing ‘harassment’ at the end of the current dispensation. Bal Bhawan, under the tutelage of the Ministry of Education, has been the aspirational hub for children where hundreds of children visit the centre every day to grow holistically, learning various activities under one roof. Peeved with the current situation, parents visiting the centre have approached top officials in governance and submitted a written complaint citing instances of activities and outdoor events being ignored. The Bal Bhawan students in the past have had opportunities to present their skills at prestigious places, including Rashtrapati Bhawan and other Government events.
Bollywood connection behind Union minister’s exit
So much Grapevine has been doing the rounds around the reasons behind the ‘sudden’ exit of Union Minister L Murugan last week. From the party to the people in the power corridors to the media, several theories gained momentum among the inquisitive media. However, one of the top people from Seva Teerth has confided that a series of messages to a Bollywood star led to Murugan’s exit. What happened is that the top star of Hindi cinema ‘complained’ about the out-of-context messages to a top functionary in the Government, who in turn shared the episode immediately with top ruling party leaders, who are believed to have asked the Minister to quit as Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and also give up his membership of the Rajya Sabha. A few years ago, a Cabinet Minister was caught on a video call with a woman, which led to his exit from Government and politics.
Hindi abuses triggered CRPF assault on Kerala MP
An MP from Kerala was brutally beaten by CRPF the previous week during the SIR protests in the national Capital. He was giving media bytes in the local language to some local channels from his home State, hurling abuses at police personnel who were trying to detain him. But all of a sudden, this Left party MP uttered a few abusive Hindi words, stating that “these unformed men don’t understand that he was an MP”. The video, which has been made available to some media houses, including The Pioneer, shows that this Hindi dialogue provoked the CRPF jawans from the Hindi belt, leading to a brutal attack on the Kerala MP John Brittas from the Rajya Sabha. Brittas was also a journalist for CPI (M)’s Print and TV Channel in the Delhi Bureau.
Deshbhakt vs Farzi journalists!
Amid the ongoing CJP protests, the Deshbhakt and Farzi tag has moved beyond protest slogans, sparking concerns among journalists that have now reached the Information and Broadcasting Minister. Several journalists raised concerns over the growing presence of alleged fake reporters, arguing that the mainstream media image is being tarnished by the presence of ‘fake’ media people in the field. Grapevine has it that, in response to the concerns, the Information Minister has suggested that field reporters could form a dedicated ‘Reporters Guild’ to represent their interests, like the ‘Editor’s Guild’ and ‘Press Council of India’. The minister reportedly expressed solidarity with journalists and said the Government could examine a draft proposal to protect field reporters and consider issuing guidelines for mainstream journalists if the proposed Reporters’ Guild submits the draft.