Lokpal wants car upgrade from Maruti Ciaz to Toyota Camry
India’s first Lokpal, Justice P.C. Ghose, is not happy with the NDA government. He wants an upgradation of his official car — from the Maruti Ciaz to the Toyota Camry. While the Maruti Ciaz is priced at around Rs 9 lakh, the Toyota Camry comes at four times the price of Ciaz. Ghose has told the government that the Ciaz is given to officials of secretary rank while the Lokpal has the status of a Supreme Court judge. Other members of the anti-corruption body are demanding pay and perks, including bungalows in Lutyens Delhi, equivalent to serving high court judges.
Union home secretary front-runner for IAS Association chief post
After the retirement of Rajasthan cadre IAS officer Rakesh Srivastava, the IAS Association is looking for a new president. Union Home Secretary and 1982-batch officer Rajiv Gauba was earlier seen as an ideal candidate to replace Srivastava but given that Gauba is tipped to be among the front-runners for the cabinet secretary post, he may like to wait for the government to take a decision on the appointment. According to convention, the oldest serving officer in the government becomes the president of the association.
Of late, IAS officers have become increasingly circumspect when it comes to the association — often trying to not appear close to the body, which deliberates and highlights issues concerning the IAS community. At an informal gathering of IAS officers organised by the association last week, almost half the officers who had confirmed their presence did not show up. It is assumed that the officers are sceptical of being seen as “unionising”. This notwithstanding that over the last few years, the IAS Association — as well as associations of other services such as the IPS, IFS, among others — have steered clear of controversial issues.
Also read: Modi govt to expand lateral entry scheme for civil servants with 50 NITI Aayog recruits
After poll rout, Rahul Gandhi gives Iftar party a miss
The Lok Sabha election rout seems to have reinforced the Congress high command’s apprehension about the political implications of the party’s association with Muslims. After the 2014 general elections, senior leader A.K. Antony had submitted a report, concluding that the Congress had suffered due to its image as a party that appeases the minorities. This prompted Rahul Gandhi to project himself as a janeudhari Brahmin even as AICC leaders, after 2015, quietly abandoned the practice of holding Iftar, the customary breaking of the day-long fast in the holy month of Ramzan.
In 2018, though, Gandhi hosted Iftar, which was attended by former President Pranab Mukherjee, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other Congress leaders as also opposition leaders such as Sharad Yadav and Sitaram Yechury. In 2019, Gandhi has chosen not to hold Iftar, leaving it to the party’s state units, including the ones in Delhi, Rajasthan, Bihar and Chhattisgarh to organise it. According to a senior party leader, this is not a policy decision as is evident from state units’ Iftar parties. It’s obviously Gandhi who wouldn’t like to be seen holding such a party to woo Muslims.
Also read: How Rahul Gandhi could have defeated Narendra Modi
(Contributors: Sanya Dhingra and Neelam Pandey)
Prof PK Sharma, Freelance Journalist, Barnala (Punjab)
Ironic indeed !
Gone are the days of ” Simple living, high thinking ” spirit !
Will not Mahatma Gandhi- the father of the nation be
wailing in heavens over the first Lokpal Justice PC Ghose
expressing his displeasure over allotment of Maruti Ciaz
instead of Toyota Camry vehicle !
Will travelling in Maruti Ciaz make look UnLokpal like ?
What an example of sheer Hollowness at its best !
Is the former jurist of the highest court of India not a victim
of complex either superiority or inferiority ?
Moreover, in so-called majoritarian regime, fair turns foul and
foul turns fair instantly because nothing is hard and fast in it !
In post retirement period, Justice(Retired) Ghose should feel
happy in Maruti Ciaz that too from the tax payers money !
Prof PK Sharma,Freelance Journalist
Pom Anm Nest Barnala (Punjab)
Rahul Gandhi is falling prey to vicious circle created by his main rival party and some old members of Congress party .Rahul Gandhi should interact with common men ,listen to them and read their mind and take decisions on his own .Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi must remember that people look up to Congress and admire Congress because it is very different from other national party BJP .Congress always stood for secularism and liberal social and political ideology .It was Congress which inserted the word ” secular ” in the very important declaration in our constitution.It was Advani who coined and propagated the word ” appeasement policy ” for Congress ‘s secularism and fortunately it garnered votes from Hindus .BJP contiunously spearding stories how Congress favoured Muslims while helping them in distress and riots .But its a vicious game .If Congress will became the same as BJP ,what ideology will it be proud of ,then why should people vote for Congress snd why not the BJP?Its high time Rahul Gandhi ,Sonia Gandhi should stick to ideology of Nehru,not only the nation but the whole world admired,honoured Nehru for his very liberal and secular ideology .Now Congress is the only party which can protect minorties ,SC,ST and OBC .In last few years all these sections of the society are facing all sorts of injustice,brutality and atrocities.Even large section of Hindus are upset and deeply pained to see ever growing hatred,violence in the country .Rahul Gandhi must stood for them.Rahul Gandhi must not listen to all blindly .Beware of enemies within the party .Rahul Gandhi lost Rajasthan ,MadhyaPradesh only because he took no action against gruesome incidents in these states .KamalNath reimposed draconian laws to arrest muslims and put them behind the bars for carrying beef .KamalNath propagated employment plans like training for cattle grazing,playing bands ,similar to BJP’s ” pakora making ” and ,” cycle repairing ” suggestions .KamalNath started GauRaksha , Gaushalas .Rahul Gandhi should read and understand ,imbibe,and follow our constiution drafted by our great BabaSaheb .Rahul.Gandhi must remember only speeches will not heal the wounds of Muslims and dalits but these people need someone to stand by them ,to protect their fundamental rights .Muslims are bonafide citizens of the country .They fought and sacrificed for the country since independence.Rahul Gandhi should not become leader of one caste ,one religion and one community .He need not prove himself ” janaudhari brahmin ” and shun iftar parties .It will prove blunder .Rahul Gandhi must remember that people never voted Jansangh now known as BJP for decades after decades only because of its anti muslim sentiment and hindutava based ideology .Rahul Gandhi must remember Congress won majorty elections after elections only because of its ideology to safeguard fundamental rights of all castes,creeds and regions .Dont fall prey to very malicious trap created by main rival party and beware of selfish ,old leaders within the Congress party .
Muslims did not ask congress to give iftar parties.It was their greed for vote that arranged such parties Congress always asoft hindutva party secularism was a mask to hide their soft hindutva
Print what is unprintable and can be printed but not printed , asked for printing but refused to be printed get printed elsewhere not printed in printing press
Being satisfied by the government is better than being fed through corruption