Pre-Truth — snappy, witty and significant snippets from the world of politics and government.
Congress leader C.P. Joshi didn’t find a place in CWC
Former union minister C.P. Joshi didn’t find a place in the new Congress Working Committee announced Tuesday evening despite the fact that he is general secretary in charge of northeastern states, except Assam. As per the Congress’ constitution, the party president appoints general secretaries from among CWC members. Joshi’s omission from the list of CWC members comes as a clear indication that the party high command has decided to drop him as general secretary.
It was under Joshi’s watch that the BJP managed to upstage the Congress from the northeast. It has been a roller-coaster ride for the leader from Rajasthan who lost the assembly elections by one vote in 2008 when he was in the reckoning for the chief minister’s post. Thanks to Rahul Gandhi’s liking for him, he was rehabilitated at the Centre as a union minister. The wheel has turned full circle for him now, it seems.
Salman Khurshid’s friends attended Rahul’s interaction
It was with envy that many senior Congress leaders saw Salman Khurshid bringing many of his friends to meet Rahul Gandhi at his recent interaction with Muslim intellectuals, which ran into controversy over his purported remark about the Congress being a Muslim party. Khurshid’s list of friends included the son of the erstwhile Raja of Mahmudabad, writer and historian Rakshanda Jaleel, his neighbour in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar, and a host of others. Congress leaders were, therefore, surprised to see Khurshid’s name missing from the reconstituted Congress Working Committee Tuesday evening.
Traffic snarls forced minister Ahluwalia take a bike ride to Modi rally
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public rally in West Midnapore in West Bengal Monday created some serious traffic woes for Darjeeling MP S.S. Ahluwalia, who is also the MoS for electronics and information technology. The minister, who was slated to be on the dais with the PM, got caught in a massive traffic jam because of the crowds heading to the rally, forcing him to abandon his car and hitch a ride on a motorcycle for 8 km. Despite this, Ahluwalia ended up reaching the venue late and got on the dais long after Prime Minister Narendra Modi did.
Eye on polls, Haryana ministers told to hold press meets twice a week
Haryana, where assembly elections are due next year, is already in poll mode. Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar has asked his cabinet colleagues to hold two press conferences every week — Mondays and Thursdays. The ministers are to be accompanied by the principal secretaries of their departments. In case a minister is not available, the bureaucrat heading a department is expected to address the press. The idea is to list their achievements. The enthusiastic ministers instead of following the schedule are holding a press conference nearly everyday. There have even been occasions when two ministers held conferences one after the other on the same day. Some of the ministers have nothing new to say. The result has been the gradual thinning of media attendance.
When Sam Pitroda shared an auto ride with Dinesh Trivedi
Sam Pitroda, chairman of Congress party’s overseas wing, never travelled in an autorickshaw in his life. On his India trip last week, he shared it with his friend, Dinesh Trivedi. The senior Trinamool Congress leader was quick to take him for an auto ride. They took an auto from Khan Market and went to Taj Palace Hotel. Pitroda was quite excited about his ride as he shared his experience with anyone who cared to listen.
‘No rule says that lawyers have to stand while arguing in court’
Why can’t lawyers sit before the judge when they argue? Is standing in the court, sometimes the whole day, mandatory? Ludhiana-based advocate Hariom Jindal has established through RTI responses that there is no rule dictating a lawyer to be on his legs. He has now moved the National Human Rights Commission, headed by a former CJI H.L. Dattu against this “inhuman practice”. The Bar Council of India has also held meetings to discuss the issue. A few days ago, a Supreme Court judge asked Soli Sorabjee, who was recently hospitalised, to sit and argue.
MLAs from across parties throw weight behind Bhujbal
Nationalist Congress Party’s Chhagan Bhujbal may have spent a lonely two years behind bars in connection with a money-laundering case. But the former Maharashtra minister and senior MLA found strong support from across parties on the floor of the legislature, his first assembly session after getting bail. Legislators from across NCP, Congress, Shiv Sena and BJP strongly pressed for action against a deputy police superintendent for allegedly abusing Bhujbal in the latter’s absence for no apparent reason, as per an audio clip that went viral. They argued, disrespect of MLAs, irrespective of their parties, will not be tolerated. The assembly speaker ultimately suspended the police officer pending inquiry.
Contributors: Kumar Anshuman, Ruhi Tewari, Chitleen Sethi, Apurva Vishwanath and Manasi Phadke