Defence ministry’s move to regulate Army’s portrayal in films and on TV/online is ridiculous. Fiction and entertainment enjoy creative freedoms and cannot be taken too seriously. There will be nothing left to watch if all government bodies with a grievance start regulating art. Defence ministry should focus on weightier matters.
Nitish Kumar diminishing himself into a caricature over Sushant Singh Rajput death probe
Bihar politicians’ attempt to reap political dividends out of Sushant Singh Rajput’s tragic death is deplorable. CM Nitish Kumar is diminishing himself into a caricature. If every state starts sending its police to probe purported crimes against its ‘domiciles’ in other states, it will destroy the Constitutional scheme of things.
Elected govt shouldn’t be undermined frequently. Delhi can’t afford another LG-CM face-off
A new round of LG-CM battle has begun in Delhi. In the past week, LG overruled government’s decision to appoint public prosecutors in riots cases and open hotels and gyms. The capital can’t afford a repeat of the debilitating LG-CM face-off. An elected government shouldn’t be undermined like this frequently.
If anything, one fears CM Arvind Kejriwal has been deferential, to the point of being obsequious. 2. There is widespread disappointment, even dismay, over how the north east Delhi riots / violence – some have called it a pogrom – have been investigated. If the public prosecutors are not true to their salt, there could be a complete miscarriage of justice. Many are missing Justice S Muralidhar.
In some ways, this is a measure of CM Nitish Kumar’s growing desperation and fall from grace. Senior leader Yashwant Sinha, on a tour of Bihar, has pointed out how he has been ensconced in safety for the last four months, unwilling to help the people of the state at such a desperate time. Unfortunate that this case is acquiring a parochial flavour. Mumbai Police has a far better track record on crime control and investigation than their counterparts in Bihar.
The only legitimate grievance MoD can have is that the uniform / badges of rank / other insignia sometimes get mixed up. In Hindi films, an SHO sometimes wears the collar tabs of a DIG. Beyond that, the armed forces, like all other public institutions in a democracy, should be willing to be portrayed with candour and honesty.