My Opinion

Russia has defended its attack on Syria on the pretext of destroying the ISIS but whether it has succeeded or not, is difficult to ascertain. The ground reality in Syria makes it all the more difficult to find out whether the Russian missiles have strategically hit the ISIS or have hit civilian areas instead!

It was a video that went viral. A video on social medial that brought out the Nation’s outrage towards the plight of the Dalit family in Dankaur. Similarly it was the picture of a young boy studying under a streetlight outside a metro station that prompted the UP Chief Minister to reach out to him. While there is no doubt about the power of Social Media, it is equally important to check the veracity of such images and videos. It is important to avoid a knee jerk reaction without knowing what the truth is. In the Dankaur case too what was initially considered to be a result of police atrocities, turned out in reality to be a form of ‘nude’ protest by the Dalit family when the police failed to register their FIR despite repeated requests.

The outcome of the Bihar Polls is anybody’s guess. It has left everybody baffled. Political pundits are speculating and there is no parity amongst the various Opinion Poll surveys. However if one were to go purely by the mammoth crowd presence at Prime Minister Modi’s rallies, it has definitely given the BJP alliance an edge over the Nitish-Lalu alliance.

Nothing is more shameful than what happened at the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly today when Independent MLA Engineer Rashid was thrashed by the BJP MLAs because he had hosted a beef party in an act of defiance. While there is no justification in what the BJP MLAs did, Engineer Rashid was no less. Instead of trying to maintain peace, he was bent upon provoking the BJP by continuously threatening them with shoes and dire consequences.

It is noteworthy how Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a reference to the Dadri incident came down heavily on all communal forces. It came as a fitting reply to questions being repeatedly raised by leaders like Lalu, Nitish, Rahul and Owaisi on the PM’s silence over the issue. The PM’s frontal attack came at a time when his cabinet minister Nitin Gadkari lashed out at the opposition earlier during the day saying that they would always raise a stink irrespective of whether Modi spoke or chose to keep mum. And today there was no stopping the Prime Minister as he finally broke his silence.

As Bihar goes to the polls on Monday, NDA seems to be on a stronger wicket than the RJD alliance according to the latest India TV-C Voter Opinion Poll survey. However the picture could change drastically as polling in Bihar is scheduled to take place in four more phases spread out over a period of one month. If Caste is the basis upon which the electorate votes, then the RJD alliance could surge ahead but if development is the key factor, then it would be a huge win for Narendra Modi and his party.

That Rahul Gandhi would hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his rallies in Bihar is nothing new. He even praised Nitish Kumar but what stood out in both his rallies was his silence on the RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav. Who can forget what forced the two to fall apart. In fact two years ago it was Rahul Gandhi who had dramatically objected to the ordinance that the then Congress government sought to issue – an ordinance that was primarily meant to save Lalu from being disqualified upon his conviction in the fodder case. Not only did Lalu go to jail, the controversial ordinance was also withdrawn forcing Lalu to lick his wounds.

The Supreme Court had to finally step in to quell the confusion arising out of two contradictory division bench judgements over the beef ban in Jammu & Kashmir. But despite the Supreme Court’s intervention at the behest of the Mufti government, every party in Kashmir is bent upon playing beef politics. Adopting a defiant stand, MLA Engineer Rashid even hosted a beef party saying that no court or legislature could stop people from eating what they wanted.

Before the elections, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had promised that his government would work for the masses and would be one of them. He had said that his MLAs would lead lives of the ordinary and would not waste money unnecessarily. However much seems to have changed since then. From a ‘no security’, ‘no beacon’, ‘no bungalows’ promise, a committee constituted by the Delhi government has now proposed a whopping four-fold increase in MLA salaries. It is anything but ‘aam admi’!

The arrest of these fishermen by Pakistan, is a sad testament of how they are repeatedly at the receiving end while trying to eke out a subsistence. And there is no proper demarcation of the border in the oceans which makes it even more difficult. Instead of arresting them blindly and throwing them into prison, a proper solution would have to be found so that the fishermen are well aware of the limits in the territorial waters and do not cross over unknowingly. And even if they do, one would have to be magnanimous enough to forgive them.

The violence in Varanasi over the issue of idol immersion has turned ugly. The violent clash between the police and the seers has left many injured. While the police cite the Allahabad HC order banning immersion, the sadhus say it is their customary right. Traditionally in Varanasi, the city intellectuals have always played an important role and this time too had they come forward, the situation could have been brought under control and settled amicably.

Azam Khan is well aware that every action begets a reaction. He will keep making such inflammatory statements which in turn will trigger off vitriolic reactions from leaders like Yogi Adityanath and Sakshi Maharaj. Instead of indulging in hate politics and further polarising people, he could do well to take lessons from someone much younger – the UP Chief Minister, on what to say and how to react in such situations!