No comments on Facebook?
Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik appeared quite upbeat when he instantly garnered over 50,000 followers soon after joining Facebook last week.
Mr Patnaik regularly posts about his government’s major policy initiatives, decisions and approaches to mitigate certain burning problems, like drinking water scarcity, rising number of farmer suicides due to drought conditions, etc., on his Facebook wall. He doesn’t miss a chance to post congratulatory messages to students excelling in various examinations and sportspersons bringing accolades to the state through their achievements at the national and international levels.
While his posts prompt many “likes”, the comments are often not in response to his posts but on other issues that Mr Patnaik meticulously evades. The followers have questioned his inability to speak Oriya and his silence over the Opposition’s demand to punish partymen and ministers from Biju Janata Dal involved in chit-fund scams and other irregularities. Moreover, many followers have questioned
Mr Patnaik’s populist sops like Rs 1 per kg rice scheme for those living below poverty line, free shoes, blankets and umbrella and Rs 5 per meal in urban centres. The followers have also directly alleged that these programmes — launched to garner votes — have rendered people lazy and killed their instinct to live with dignity and honour through hard work. Private school teachers have also sought clarification from Mr Patnaik on why their jobs were not being regularised.
There is, however, no reply from Mr Patnaik as critics say any response from him would invite him more brick bats than appreciation.
‘Muchein ho to Marimunshji jaisi’
Marimunsh Lakda, gunman of Balrampur district superintendent of police Sadanand Kumar, had his “moment of glory” when chief minister Raman Singh took a break from his “Lok Suraj Abhiyan” programme organised at Sabag in north Chhattisgarh on May 3 and walked up to him to appreciate his butterfly style moustache.
“I am truly fascinated by your majestic moustache,” Mr Singh told the jawan while putting his arm around him.
“My moustache got me recognition,” an elated Mr Lakda later observed. He narrated the story behind “nurturing” his facial hair into “king size” moustache.
“One day, the bus I was travelling in, was intercepted by Naxals in Bastar. I was apprehensive that the rebels might abduct me after ascertaining my identity. But my moustache saved me as Naxals spared me thinking I am a villager. That day, I vowed to nurture my ‘life saver’ moustache for the rest of my life,” the jawan explained.
With the jawan becoming the star attraction, some in the gathering were heard chanting, “Muchein ho to Marimunshji jaisi,” playing on Amitabh Bachchan’s dialogue “Muchein ho to Nathulalji jaisi” from the 1984 film Sharaabi.
School shut for nikah
Last week the authorities at Jammu and Kashmir’s education department received an SOS call from a local sarpanch because the headmistress declared a holiday at the institution on the eve of her son’s wedding. As a result, they had to place the head of a high school in Bhagla, Bharath area of the mountainous district of Doda and other staff under suspension.
The school was closed by headmistress Syeda Anjum without any authority. Director, school education (Jammu), Smita Sethi, acting on orders from the state’s education minister, Naeem Akhtar, rushed a team of senior officials to the school for an on-the-spot verification of the complaint.
On arriving at school, the team found a notice put up on the entrance saying the school is closed on account of the marriage of Touseef Ahmed, the headmistress’ son. As a result, along with Ms Anjum, the entire school staff including teachers Javed Iqbal, Shakeel Ahmed, Bilal Ahmed, Nar Singh and Nazir Ahmed, were placed under suspension, pending official inquiry.
Earlier, officials at another government-run school in neighbouring Kishtwar set off a major controversy after it installed a hoarding which had a portrait of Sir Dr Muhammad Iqbal given the moniker “Poet of the East”, on it referring to him as “Iqbal Singh”. What was worse, it also featured a distorted version of one of his famous Urdu couplets on women power.
Amid massive outrage in society, the hoarding was removed, but the principal of the Government Higher Secondary (Boys) School, Kishtwar, Pramila Sharma, tried to evade responsibility by accusing them of attempting to foment communal trouble in the area.
IPL’s canine brush
IPL’s canine brush
A street dog who recently strayed inside the Ferozeshah Kotla grounds, during an Indian Premier League match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils, became the cynosure of all cricket fans eyes who got up in unison to get a glimpse of the canine who kept running from one end of the stadium to the other. While the match was in progress, it did not deter the canine from running on the ground. But its presence forced the cricketers to stop playing for a minute or so.
After taking three-odd rounds of the field, the canine exited on its own through a gate next to the dressing room. As it got out, a section of cricket fans sitting even gave it a standing ovation. All those who watched the match on their TV sets missed the entire canine episode.
Next time, if you want to catch all the action on and off the field, make sure you watch it live at a stadium.
Dilli meri Jaan
Dilli meri Jaan
Some political leaders, it seems, cannot keep their dreams of achieving a particular position in their career at bay. Though the Bharatiya Janata Party had clearly indicated to senior party leader Vijay Goel that his role in Delhi politics would be limited, does not seem to be able to gauge the sentiment.
Despite clear indications, Mr Goel, a member of Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan, continues to raise the issues and problems concerning the people of Delhi. Recently, he had even protested against the odd-even scheme introduced by the Kejriwal government, which he claimed had flopped badly.
It seems that despite almost being forced to move out of the city’s politics, the senior BJP leader has not lost his love for the city. Interestingly, Delhi also supported the political career of his father Charti Lal Goel.
Halfway house
Rumour has it that a certain “chief minister’s putra” in the Bharatiya Janata Party has been getting his official residence in the Lutyens’ zone furnished for almost two years. This “chief minister putra”, who also happens to be an MP, went to take a look at this house, which is close to the BJP headquarters, before the “grihapravesh” next week. But there he had to face some anxious moments, when first the guard could not find the key to the main entrance and then one of the bathroom doors failed to open. Miffed by this, the “chief minister’s putra” asked his security to make sure that the labourers who were working there were barred from entering the house, he also changed the guards at the bungalow then and there.
Yadav’s family woes
Yadav’s family woes
Most of the weddings in the Mulayam Singh Yadav clan are invariably high-profile events with multiple functions attended by top leaders from across the political spectrum and the glitterati.
But this week, the Yadav family witnessed a wedding that was unusually low profile, even though it involved two political families.
Rahul Yadav, grand nephew of Mulayam Singh Yadav, was married to Isha Yadav, daughter of Sadhu Yadav, the estranged brother-in-law of Lalu Prasad Yadav.
The wedding, as well as the reception, was held on a subdued note and the invitees did not include too many well-known names.
A family source said that this was mainly because relations between the Yadav clans in Lucknow and Patna have become somewhat entangled of late.
“The relations between Mr Lalu and Mr Sadhu are not cordial and Mr Lalu’s daughter is already married to Mr Mulayam’s grand nephew Tej Pratap. In view of the tensions within the family, it was decided to keep the affair low key and
Mr Lalu’s family also stayed away. We did not wish to embarrass them on the occasion,” the family member said.
It seems that after dealing with problems in his party, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav will also have to solve issues within the family now.
