Politicians are probably the truest disciples of Lord Krishna. For they have mastered the art of taking defeat and victory in their stride with equal equanimity. Electoral defeat or victory, that is.
No longer does it seem to matter to even important politicians of the country whether they have won or lost. Look at Devendra Yadav. This RJD stalwart, known for his proximity to Lalu Yadav, lost in the last Lok Sabha election. It has affected him not one whit. He now has a house in Delhi worth a crore of rupees. Along with that, he has a car worth Rs 15 lakh.
So the trend seems to be that, if you win, you get five years of heaven-like Parliament and everlasting glory; if you lose, you acquire incredible wealth and a heavenly life.
Anti-Naxal war unprecedented
With, thankfully, no major terrorist attack for some months, the government is focusing on preparing for an anti-Naxalite war. The Army is to be deployed in Naxalite-ravaged states like Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. Now, though no one endorses the politics of violence practised by the Naxalites, not everybody is convinced of the need to use the Army. There is also a degree of amazement at this all-out offensive against the Naxalites, especially as the heads of successive governments have treated it as a socio-economic problem.
South Block’s grapevine has it that this time the big push has come from a Minister who was earlier a lawyer for mining companies operating in the affected areas. His wife too has been a lawyer for several firms. It is common knowledge that these companies have spent a small fortune on royalty payments to undertake mining in designated areas. The Naxalites have wreaked havoc with their business so they intend to finish them off once and for all.
So, it boils down to being a miners’ war….!
Jaswant boots out predecessors
Having been unceremoniously dumped by the BJP for praising Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s secular credentials in a book, Jaswant Singh – as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament – has ordered removal of the photographs lining his chamber in the Parliament House complex. The collection includes photographs of those who have headed the PAC since 1921. Most are Englishmen, though there is a decent number of Indian leaders who have also headed this important Parliamentary committee. The latter includes Atal Bihari Vajpayee, PV Narasimha Rao, Vijay Kumar Malhotra and others. Jaswant’s photograph should rightfully be part of this elite group of Parliamentarians.
However, he appears to have decided he won’t have any of the past chairmen of the PAC looking on at him in his chamber. Work to remove the photographs has begun. The staff is perplexed at the strange order and wonders what has prompted the erstwhile BJP stalwart to take such an unusual step.
Mallya’s gift for mom
Sons, rich or poor, will move mountains for their mothers in their hearts. The only difference is that a rich one can sometimes actually do what his poorer counterpart can only dream of. Liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya is well known for his lavish lifestyle and flamboyance. He has also developed a reputation for giving fabulously expensive gifts. When it came to his mother, with whom he shares a very strong bond, he decided on a truly memorable gift. So our man went and bought an island somewhere in Europe as a gift for his mother.
The cost was a paltry Rs 120 crore. Well, it’s peanuts when compared with the thousand crore rupees that Mallya owes oil companies, vendors, advertising agencies, newspapers and magazines.
