A marital alliance is going to tie together the north and the south block, the two strongest columns of India’s power corridor. The bride-to-be is the daughter of a senior minister, a South Indian. The prospective groom, or the kunvarji, is a Hindi-speaking officer in the Prime Minister’s Office, located just opposite the road.
Politically Incorrect Watch
What would a politically correct watch look like? It would be nationalistic with a socialist character. Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai displayed his patriotism by flaunting his rather expensive watch. Responding to opponents raising questions about his watch, he said that if one considers his patriotism then his watch is not that expensive. He said that the material used in the watch is the same used to make Rafale fighter planes. Since he is not part of India’s armed forces, he is showing his love for the country by wearing the watch. It’s a different matter altogether that BJP high command has rejected his defence and advised him to refrain from such demonstrations. In short, he has been told to wear a reasonably priced watch instead.
Cattle shield
After drawing flak over the watch controversy, Annamalai tried to use his cows and goats as a shield. He said that he had bought the watch during his IPS days when it wasn’t so costly. He claims that his cows and goats are his only assets.
Khadge or Kharge?
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has been upset for years for the way people pronounce his surname. He says it’s not Khadge but Kharge. One fine day, he woke up and wrote a letter urging people to say it right. This created much confusion among members of different parties, who asked Kharge to explain the difference between the two words. This troubled Kharge but word is out that he may write another letter to actually explain the difference. The question is, how will he explain it in English?
The consolation information
Among more than a dozen ministers ousted from the Modi cabinet, there are a few leaders who still have their trusted officials posted in various ministries. The ex-ministers are now using the officials to know if they can be lucky again in the next possible cabinet reshuffle. But how the officers respond to such queries negatively? Officers being officers are treating these questions as files and attaching a note that possibilities of ex-ministers entering the cabinet are unknown but they could still be posted as Governors in different states. In the bureaucratic parlance this is being termed as ‘Consolation Information.’
The Singing CM
It has been recently discovered that Tripura CM, Manik Saha is also an excellent singer. He broke into a song during his train journey from Agartala to Unakoti, where he was going to participate in Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha function. Listening to his melodies, his co-passengers couldn’t stop applauding him. Saha sang a Kishore Kumar song and sounded exactly like him. Perhaps he is the first ever chief minister of the country who has left all other ministers behind as a singer.
Universal design for Parliament
Shashi Tharoor, the ‘charming’ leader of the Congress, fractured his leg during the ongoing Parliament session. There is only one wheelchair-friendly entry to Parliament, which is via Gate no. 9. An upset Tharoor raised the issue in Lok Sabha. It is yet to be known what new facilities the new Parliament building will have but the number of ramps is sure to increase as Tharoor has requested it.
Also read: Rising above politics or a jibe at BJP? What Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Vajpayee memorial signifies
Rahul Gandhi’s T-Shirt bravado
When the Rahul Gandhi led ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ was crossing the Haryana border in order to enter Delhi, several young Congress members were seen imitating Rahul by wearing T-shirts only. But the chilly winters of Delhi blew their minds. Everyone hurriedly got their warm jackets. When people in Rahul’s circle got to know about the incident, they advised the youth not to imitate the congress leader. The Yatra involves facing hardships and required rigorous practise. Become part of it for a few days and save your stunts for later.
Bharat Agrawal is Executive Director, Dainik Bhaskar Group, and a columnist.
By special arrangement with Dainik Bhaskar. Translated by Ram Lal Khanna and edited by Ratan Priya from the original in Hindi.