My Opinion

Questions are bound to be raised until the government gets Vijay Mallya to face the law. Doing so will not be easy and the Congress will continue to raise doubts over the government’s intent. This will only end with Mallya being sent to jail.

Today on Dr Ambedkar’s birthday Mayawati pledged that if she is voted back into power in Uttar Pradesh, she would concentrate solely on developing the state rather than on building statues. UP will head to polls next year and Narendra Modi is helpless but forced to convince people repeatedly that he is for the Dalits and is trying his best to fulfil Dr Ambedkar’s dreams. However one must give it to Modi for having compelled Mayawati to talk about growth and development instead of talking about only parks and statues.

There is no doubt that militants in Kashmir will take advantage of such incidents to corner the State Government and embarrass Mehbooba Mufti. They will try every means to incite the masses forcing Mehbooba to make certain demands in front of the Central Government in order to instil a sense of confidence amongst the people of her state. She has therefore asked the Centre to remove the army post from Handwara. However Handwara is a sensitive post and any move to remove it would only help the militants and they would force the state government to make many more such demands. The Defence Ministry has likewise indicated its own helplessness to accede to the demands.

The region of Malda where Sonia Gandhi addressed a rally today, has always been a Congress bastion. The Left Front may have ruled West Bengal for 35 years but Malda has always voted for the Congress. This area has been ABA Ghani Khan Choudhury’s stronghold. He became an MLA for the first time in 1957 and got elected every time since then. In 1980 he fought the Lok Sabha elections and got elected and till 2004 never lost a single election. Even now both the Lok Sabha seats in Malda are with the Congress. However the Congress is apprehensive that Mamata could make inroads into Malda during this Assembly Election and besides Malda has a sizeable Muslim population. Sonia Gandhi has therefore repeatedly used Mamata and Modi’s name together so that voters do not vote for Mamata.

The popular belief is that during the time of Mahabharata, Guru Dronacharya lived in his ashram where the current city of Gurgaon exists and hence the name change to Gurugram. However a name change from Gurgaon to Gurugram will make little difference to that area which has been battling serious problems like traffic congestion, scarcity of groundwater and illegal encroachments. It would be far more beneficial if the Government would focus on these real issues plaguing the city!

Those living in Kollam where the horrific fire took place say that for the past four years the temple has been indulging in a display of fireworks. This year a fireworks competition was also to be held. However the administration has always turned a blind eye. Those found to have used explosives and banned material must be severely punished and the strictest action should also be taken against those found guilty of dereliction of duty.

It is true that Dr BR Ambedkar championed the cause of the Dalits and dedicated his whole life for their upliftment but today his name is being misused purely for vote bank politics. The government has organised some big events to celebrate Dr Ambedkar’s birthday on 14th of April. Perhaps the Congress party will also be hosting one or two rallies in his memory. Mayawati will display a different kind of a vigour that day and UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has instructed his district officials to celebrate his birthday with great fanfare. Behind all this there is only one objective that unites all the political parties that of trying to garner maximum Dalit votes.

The Bombay High court has rightfully ruled that there is no point in cancelling the IPL opening match to be played in Mumbai at the last minute when all preparations have already been made. However with Maharashtra reeling under severe drought, the state government should have undertaken all measures to prevent even a drop of water being wasted. One can only hope that the state government with take care that such a situation does not arise in the near future.

Most demands of the agitating students at NIT Srinagar have been accepted by the HRD Ministry. The Ministry has even allowed them to go home and appear for their exams later. To ensure their safety and security, CRPF has been deployed. The government has also agreed to have their answer scripts evaluated externally and has promised them of action against those staff found guilty of discrimination. The manner in which the students were lathicharged by the overzealous cops is wrong and inhuman. Investigations are on and those found guilty will be punished. However despite all assurances if the students continue with their protests, this would certainly be a cause for worry. I have been informed that some students want a transfer out of Srinagar to some other campus for which applications were submitted a year ago. The worst part is that this section of students are not only misusing the tricolour and ‘bharat mata ki jai’ slogans but also using other students in the campus for their own demands. This definitely is not legitimate.

One really can’t expect much from Pakistan. Perhaps Pakistan’s hard line approach suits Narendra Modi the best. When Prime Minister Modi for the first time had cancelled talks with the neighbouring state, he was criticised for lacking the art of diplomacy and there was a clamour for resuming talks. It was also said that Modi was in favour of escalating tensions between the two countries. Modi met Nawaz Sharif at Ufa, at Paris and even went to Pakistan to personally meet him. Sushma Swaraj also visited Pakistan for talks. Subsequently the Pathankot attack took place. Pakistan was given enough proof and the Government even allowed a team from across the border to visit Pathankot for investigations. However when this has evoked a contrarian response, Modi will have no other option but to adopt an iron hand which will certainly prove costly for Pakistan.

It is most difficult to realise the trauma of a father who has lost his son, the pain of a sister who has lost her brother…and it is strange that the person behind the wheel will go scot free because he is only a minor. However in such cases the strictest punishment must be given to such parents who easily hand over their cars to their minor children thereby putting several lives in danger.

Amitabh Bachchan is justified in saying that he has nothing to do with any shipping business. He has been mentioned his as a Director by a company. If indeed he has been a Director in this firm, where is the letter of appointment? Reports say that he resigned from as a Director four years ago and even if he did then there must be a letter of resignation. If Amitabh Bachchan’s name has been misused then it is a case of gross injustice against him. However some have questioned what took him so long to respond? Amitabh Bachchan has said that he had to take legal advice before issuing a statement. He has had to speak to his chartered accountant and only after that he has clarified his stand.