Pre-Truth — snappy, witty and significant snippets from the world of politics and government.
Why Congress supporters thought the party’s Twitter account was hacked
Outsiders were understandably surprised when the Congress posted a rather peculiar tweet Thursday — pictures of party president Rahul Gandhi in various poses at the German parliament, which left the party’s social media army equally perplexed.
Given that the Congress has been at pains to establish Gandhi’s image as a serious leader, particularly with elections due soon, the idea of making him pose while looking in different directions seemed rather odd.
The tweet was posted by the team (including social media head Divya Spandana) travelling with Gandhi. The BJP pounced on the opportunity to retweet the post.
On seeing the tweet, the Congress’ social media volunteers went into a frenzy, fearing someone had hacked the handle and was posting tweets that would embarrass the party. This led many to make frantic calls to the social media team to check whether the tweet really was from the party.
Meanwhile, the party’s communication team is also believed to be upset with the tweet, which gives ample room to the opposition to mock the Congress.
How a Supreme Court judge sang through late-night Kerala relief drive
In the wake of the devastating floods in Kerala, lawyers and judges are competing to contribute their might to bring relief to victims.
First, attorney general K.K. Venugopal, a Malayali, donated Rs 1 crore. Following this, several high-profile lawyers released the receipts of their contributions. Former attorney general Mukul Rohatgi gave Rs 50 lakh, while senior advocate Mohan Katarki donated Rs 1 lakh and pledged his services to the Kerala government for free.
The Supreme Court judges have announced donations of Rs 25,000 each to the Kerala CM’s relief fund. Delhi High Court judges followed suit, and directed that all fines ordered should be paid to the CM’s relief fund instead of the HC legal aid.
Justice Kurian Joseph, who also hails from Kerala, led a collection drive for relief material outside the apex court. He was on site till 1 am, working with lawyers from Kerala and even singing Malayalam songs to keep everyone cheerful.
Also read: Sibal & CJI Dipak Misra are ‘related’ & CPI(M)’s ‘double standards’ in condoling deaths
Why Jaitley’s return took finance ministry by surprise
Arun Jaitley returned to North Block as finance minister Thursday after a three-month break for a kidney transplant.
His team was, however, not aware of his date of re-joining until a couple of days ago.
A senior member of his team said Tuesday that the minister might take a little longer to return to office as his room in North Block had just been refurbished with a coat of fresh paint, which gives off a smell that many people find discomforting. Jaitley proved them wrong.
Why Delhi govt’s lawyers sprinted through Supreme Court
On Thursday, the Supreme Court was set to hear specific cases in which the Delhi government had challenged the lieutenant governor’s actions. The case was slated for 2 pm, but it unexpectedly came up at 11.15 am since the judges decided not to sit post-lunch.
A Delhi government lawyer’s team was then seen running through the corridors to get the senior advocates appearing for them. Eventually, Rahul Mehra, the state’s standing counsel, had to ask for an adjournment. The case will now be heard Monday.
This MP is writing a book to settle an age-old row. BJP is watching
The role of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in India’s freedom struggle has always been a bone of contention between the BJP and its political rivals. Eager to clear the air, RSS ideologue and Rajya Sabha member Rakesh Sinha is working on a book on the subject.
He has reportedly done extensive research on the subject and is expected to establish conclusively that the RSS did actively participate in the freedom struggle. Sinha is hoping to finish writing the book in October, well in time for the BJP to score some brownie points on behalf of its ideological patron ahead of the next general elections.
Also read: Why Narendra Modi is angry with this clueless minister
A morning walk is good for attendance, govt babus show
Many government babus, used to taking their own sweet time to report for work, have found a way to get around the biometric attendance system.
Officials at Shastri Bhavan, which houses the offices of many ministries, say several employees who take a morning walk around India Gate punch in their attendance and then go back home, before returning after their reporting time.
A senior bureaucrat was recently surprised to notice that the attendance record of his staff showed their entry at 8 am though they wouldn’t show up before 11 am.
A proposal moved earlier to install CCTV cameras on the premises to keep a check on such employees was never cleared.
(Contributors: Apurva Vishwanath, Ruhi Tewari, Mahua Venkatesh, Kumar Anshuman and Kritika Sharma)