It couldn’t get more bizarre than this. The elections of the Uttar Pradesh Accredited Journalists Association are currently on and for the first time, the election — usually a small in-house affair — has taken on a political hue. A senior RSS leader jumped into the poll cauldron by sending messages to almost all journalists, asking them how the RSS could play a role in the elections in the “larger national interest”. Sangh leader Laxman Bhavsingha has even invited suggestions from journalists in this regard.
The BJP, on the other hand, is also said to be keeping a close watch on the elections and is even backing some candidates. “This is the first time that any outside outfit with defined political leanings has directly interfered with our election. If the trend continues, journalists’ elections may soon be contested on political lines and that would be the end to the freedom of expression,” said a veteran journalist, who said that he would prefer not to vote in such an election.
MAHARANI’S KRISHNA, BALARAM
Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo, the Mahararani of Patna and former Lok Sabha member from Odisha’s Balangir, sees Lord Krishna and Lord Balaram in the twin combination of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. She, however, is a bit confused as to who among the two is Lord Krishna. While addressing a public meeting in Balangir recently where Mr Shah was present, Ms Deo heaped lavish praise on the duo by using many epithets and sobriquets. The audience, however, appeared more amused when she compared them to Lord Krishna and Lord Balaram.
When someone from the audience requested her to identify who she thought was Lord Krishna among the two, the Maharani, taken aback by such an impromptu query, said: “In fact, the two leaders work with so much of coordination and synchronisation, it’s too difficult to know who is Lord Krishna and who is Lord Balaram among them.” Whether or not he understood anything from the queen’s words of praise, Mr Shah was all smiles.
