Cold bite for Rajnath
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh who was chief guest at the 52nd Raising Day parade of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) earlier this week faced a major challenge to beat the biting morning cold at the paramilitary’s open ground at Ghitorni headquarters. The wind coupled with the cold on a wintry morning gave Rajnath shiver, and a shawl had to be requisitioned so that the minister draped it to protect himself.
All have to move on
The 2G Special Court Judge OP Saini had a word of advice for the lawyers when the CBI Special Prosecutor Anand Grover finished his iinal arguments. The Judge said that the process should be expedited since the case was in the fifth year. “You all have to grow. Finish this case and advance your career. How long you people will stay in this courtIJ” he said. A junior lawyer shot back : “Sir, We will be with you always. By next year, we hope we will be in front of you arguing in High Court. We are hearing some good news.” He was obviously referring to news that Judge Saini may be elevated. The Judge smiled without offering any comment.
Food for thought
Between the Winter Session of Parliament and the chill of Christmas in New Delhi it was time for lunches and dinners hosted by Cabinet Ministers. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was the first to host a lunch under the warm sun for media persons and her officers, followed Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu, MoS External Affairs Gen VK Singh, and Drinking water and sanitation minister Ram Kripal Yadav hosted media persons for dinner. The sessions of lunches and dinner, in fact, went beyond Government as political bigwigs like Sharad Yadav (JD-U) and expelled RJD MP Pappu Yadav too hosted lunch for journalists.
Even MPs
As the national Capital gets ready for odd-even traffic restrictions from January 1 to check pollution, at least three MPs showed their commitment to the cause last week in Parliament. lok Sabha MPs Arjun Ram Meghwal and Krishna Raj from Bikaner and Shahjahanpur constituencies respectively besides Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat Mansukh Mandviya cycled down to Parliament for most of the winter session and parked their bicycles in the designated MPs parking.
Ram Retort
At a public event held recently in the India International Centre, senior lawyer and MP Ram Jethmalani created a flutter when he got up from his front row seat in the hall and desired to respond to the speech delivered by Justice AP Shah on IPC Section 377 that punishes gay sex. Known to speak his mind without fear, Jethmalani politely told Justice Shah, “Do not expect Parliament to do anything right.” In his speech Shahs hoped Parliament will bat for homosexuals after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley recently hit out against the Supreme Court decision retaining the Victorian era law in the statute book.
No Power, but Prabhu on time
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, who is appreciated to be on time for events & meetings had to wait ‘patiently’ for Piyush Goyal, an MoS (Independent Charge) Coal & Power, for more than one and a half hour. Members of media, who too had been waiting for Goyal, for once decided to boycott the coverage of event until Prabhu-Goyal rushed in and Goyal took to stage to appease the media. In the confusion, the MoU signing between Railway and Coal Ministry officials was forgotten. Prabhu prompted Goyal to do the formalities when he left his chair to move out.
Rajnath’s Bypass for Kirti
Reporters at the SSB annual raising day parade at the paramilitary’s headquarters at Ghitorni were disappointed as the chief guest of the function and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh did not take any questions after inspecting an impressive parade and dare devilry from the officers and jawans. With BJP MP Kirti Azad’s suspension from the party was just fresh then, the journos were anticipating that a reaction from the minister will make a headline. Singh, who usually himself walks over to the waiting media persons after such events did not oblige this time.