Disgraced Champion
After a backlash generated in Uttarakhand on the obnoxious and abusive language used by a BJP MLA, who is so obsessed with himself that he uses Kunwar (a feudal title) as prefix and puts ‘Champion’ in his name, in a two minute video gone viral, a red-faced leadership of BJP is all set to expel the gun –toting, outspoken MLA from the party. However one needs to understand the mindset of a narcissist person like Champion, who prompted by the drunk sycophants is seen in the video using expletives against the very state he belongs to and people who have chosen him as their representative in state assembly on four occasions. It is clear that the men with a feudalistic mindset treat ordinary people as their subjects. He is ostensibly under a wrong notion that residents of the area he represents get fascinated by vulgar display of firearms and showing off his muscles in public at slightest provocation. This self proclaimed Champion has a history of unsavoury controversies but it is apparent that he has now crossed all limits and now the people of Uttarakhand whom he has demeaned should cut this inflated Champion to size.
Booze business
The controversy surrounding opening up of a bottling plant of a liquor brand near Devprayag in Tehri district has stirred a hornet’s nest with both Congress and BJP pointing fingers at one another for giving licenses for distilleries and wineries in Uttarakhand. The Congress party under whose regime the policy for opening breweries and distilleries was approved is now terming opening of distillery as insult to Dev-Bhoomi (abode of gods). Technicalities apart, it is oblivious that the heady cocktail of politics, environmentalists and self proclaimed torch bearers of religion is all set to thwart whatever little chances of development the Himalayan state has. With about 70 per cent of the geographical area under forest cover, the task of development in the state with a tough terrain is herculean. In almost every developmental endeavour dirty politics and so called environmental activists act as spoilsport. Such people vehemently opposed the recent high profile marriage in Auli and were determined to project the nuptial ceremony as an environmental disaster but a reality check revealed that this event infused a new lease of life in the moribund Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN). This agency was unable to pay salaries of its employees for months but after hosting this marriage, the GMVN not only was able to release pending salaries but also implemented provisions of VII pay commission for its staff.
Embarrassing loss
The victory of Congress candidates in the just concluded elections of municipalities of Srinagar and Bajpur has not only given a ray of hope for the despair laden Congressmen after successive electoral reverses in Uttarakhand but have also caused a major embarrassment to two ministers of TSR cabinet. The loss of Srinagar has acted as a dampener for a high profile minister of state who by his followers is being projected as the future of the saffron party in Uttarakhand. This short statured diminutive junior minister had made election of urban local body in Srinagar an issue of his prestige. To ensure victory for the party candidate, he was camping in Srinagar but all his efforts proved futile. In the political circles the buzz was going around that given his proximity with central leaders and trust TSR has on him, he is likely to be promoted as cabinet minister. However Srinagar debacle coupled with regional dynamics could act as deterrent for his chances now.