My Opinion

There have been four such strikes ever since Arvind Kejriwal formed the government in Delhi. And every time the MCD workers have brought their protests to the streets. Garbage is dumped all over the city causing not just inconvenience to the people inhabiting the city but also becoming a source of infectious diseases . The government and the BJP get busy in their own blame game and then salaries are released for three months to end the stalemate. The situation is no different this time. Kejriwal and the BJP should once and for all rise above petty politics and think about the welfare of the people who seem to have got caught in this political slugfest.

There is no doubt that Anupam Kher is a brilliant actor and is quite popular in Pakistan. Had he succeeded in visiting the country, the people of Pakistan, would have been overjoyed to see him. His absence will certainly be missed. However whether to grant a visa or not, is the sole discretion of Pakistan. No one should have any objections to this.

Mehbooba Mufti is aware that odds are against her if she were to take BJP’s support in forming the government. She is well aware that her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was able to handle such an unpopular alliance with a lot of elan. However Mehbooba is worried that she might stand to lose support base if she were to renew the alliance. She therefore wants certain commitments from the Modi government so that she is able to convince the people of the Valley that the alliance will ultimately benefit them all.

Swami Ramdev has rightfully pointed out that the momentum with which Patanjali products are being valued by consumers, his company would soon be considered amongst the top companies in the world. There is no doubt that Patanjali products are pure and there are no side effects and besides they are less expensive. Naturally they are becoming increasingly popular. Swami Ramdev’s primary focus is not profit making and this is becoming a handicap for other multinational organisations who are in the business of selling similar products in the market.

The crackdown upon the students by the Delhi police today is deplorable though one also has to take into consideration what the police have to say. They have claimed that the woman is question was actually a male student with long hair but this does not absolve the police of having roughed up the students. The manner in which the protesting students were assaulted by the police can never be justified. We live in a democracy and people in a democracy are entitled not only to free speech, they are also entitled the freedom to protest.

Tragedies like this happen because there is a lack of information. Most people are careless about vital details like the depth of water, tidal warnings, what precautions to take and rescue measures when one is stuck…these are information that most people tend to neglect. It is indeed unfortunate that the excitement of these students proved fatal when they plunged into the water during a picnic at the Murud beach.

There is a role reversal of sorts in West Bengal. Earlier when the Left was ruling the state, elections were often marred by lot of violence. Mamata Banerjee had often blamed that the CPM for unleashing lawlessness in the state sheltering and supporting goons for furthering their cause. Mamata had relentlessly campaigned against the CPM for Bengal’s degeneration and was likewise voted to power with a thumping majority. However it appears that the same goons who were making bombs for the ruling CPM then, have now switched sides with the Trinamool. Almost every other day there are reports of violence from across the state and the assembly elections in West Bengal this year may turn out to be anything but peaceful.

Manish Sisodia has once again said that if the BJP can’t run MCD then fresh elections should be ordered. What Sisodia said, is actually the ultimate objective of Kejriwal. In fact, after taking over as Chief Minister, Kejriwal has said it hundred times that if BJP can’t run MCD then they should hand it over to Delhi government and that he would manage to run it on his own.

Manohar Parrikar has taken a bold decision in case of two Army generals, accused of indulging in corruption. Reports of bribery in defence contracts used to surface even in the past, but they were disposed off after holding internal enquiries. By ordering a CBI enquiry, Manohar Parrikar has proved that he will not hesitate in taking decisions even if the matter relates to corruption in the Army, irrespective of the rank and level of the accused persons.

In Assam, BJP had two candidates for CM post – Sarbananda Sonowal and Himanta Biswa Sarma. Sonowal is an old party worker who joined BJP from student politics. Himanta Biswa Sarma, on the other hand, crossed over to BJP from Congress a few months ago. A former MLA, he was a minister in Tarun Gogoi government. Sarma is affluent and popular but BJP preferred an old party worker over him. That’s why BJP parliamentary board has decided to make him party’s face in the upcoming Assembly elections in the state.

Erstwhile J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has dared Mehbooba Mufti to hold fresh elections in the State. After her father’s death Mehbooba Mufti has so far maintained a silence over government formation. She has called a meeting with her party leaders at her residence on the 31st of January. She wants to gauge political situation in Kashmir and also assess the mood of the people in the state. Since she is yet to lay all her cards on the table or break away from the BJP-PDP alliance or form a new government, it has given Omar Abdullah the perfect ground to repeatedly raise the issue of fresh elections.

It is a century old tradition being followed over the years where by women are prohibited from entering the core area of the Shani Shingnapur temple in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra. Worship is a personal choice and women devotees who want to enter the temple should be allowed to offer their prayers. Times have changed and there is nothing wrong in breaking away from this tradition, what is wrong is an attempt to resist such a change and rake up a controversy over this.