Pre-Truth – snappy, witty and significant snippets from the world of politics and government.
WhatsApp whisper had predicted J&K break-up
While chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and many of her cabinet colleagues were seemingly caught unawares by the BJP’s sudden announcement to walk out of the alliance government in J&K, it seems several top bureaucrats in the state knew about the move.
A day before the announcement, a WhatsApp message circulated in a group that has senior IAS officers posted in J&K as members clearly said the BJP had decided to end the alliance.
The message, first posted by a senior officer posted in a state ministry led by a BJP member, said the party’s state president and some ministers had been “summoned” to New Delhi by chief Amit Shah to be told about the decision.
RBI governor Urjit Patel’s house panel interview didn’t go very well
Reserve Bank of India governor Urjit Patel’s deposition last week before the parliamentary standing committee on finance left many disappointed.
While he was not very forthcoming with details about alleged bank scams, Patel could also not provide the exact value of the demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes stashed in Nepal.
The RBI had revealed last year that 99 per cent of the demonetised notes were back. But it didn’t include the notes that were in Nepal. Many parliamentarians were eager to know the value of the notes, but Patel said the count was yet to be completed.
The RBI governor agreed to a suggestion from panel chairman Veerappa Moily that he brief the standing committee about the central bank’s take on the state of the economy at least once every three months.
BJP rues communication blues
With less than a year to go for the Lok Sabha polls, it isn’t as if the BJP is unaware that some of the narrative has slipped from its hands, and that its communication strategy hasn’t been as effective as in the past.
At a closed-door social media and communications strategy meeting of the party convened by Ram Madhav Sunday, the BJP national general secretary admitted as much. “I admit we are not facing a good time. Communication has not been right,” Madhav said just as he began his speech, surprising many of the participants.
Why no NGT chair for six months? The jury is out
It has been six months since former Supreme Court judge Swatanter Kumar retired as chairperson of the National Green Tribunal, but the post remains vacant and the key tribunal has been functioning with an acting chairperson.
Some have speculated that the delay is deliberate as a powerful NGT may not be the best thing for the government in an election year since it could potentially stall many infrastructure projects. However, grapevine has it that the post has been kept vacant for Supreme Court judge A.K. Goel, who is set to retire on 6 July.
Rahul junks birthday travel for quiet dinner with folks
Congress president Rahul Gandhi is known to travel abroad to undisclosed locations every year for his birthday, which falls on 19 June. This year, however, was different.
Since he just recently accompanied his mother Sonia on a trip abroad for her health check-up, Rahul shelved his birthday travel plans. Instead, to celebrate the special day, the Gandhi family chose Town Hall, a restaurant in Khan Market. Sonia and Rahul, along with Priyanka, her husband Robert Vadra and their two children, enjoyed a relaxed, leisurely dinner Tuesday at the restaurant, which Sonia is known to like very much. Rahul turned 48 this year.
(Contributors: D.K. Singh, Ruhi Tewari, Apurva Vishwanath)