Not-so-close comparison

BJP leader Nitin Gadkaris love for civil construction is not a secret.

October 14, 2013 12:18 AM IST

4 min read

BJP leader Nitin Gadkaris love for civil construction is not a secret. He has even got the tag of flyover minister for playing a key role in many road projects,including the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Recently,at his book launch in Mumbai,he stunned many when he proudly claimed,Maharashtra’s Sahyadri Guest House is state-of-the-art and better than the Taj Mahal. Many were left wondering if he really meant what he said or whether he was referring to the Taj Mahal Hotel near Gateway of India and not the Agra monument. A member of the audience said,The state guest house might be nice,but to compare it with the Taj? Be it Mumbai or Agra? Only Gadkari can have the gall to make such statements.

No seat-sharing

Although some brush aside the lament that many senior bureaucrats still live with a hangover of the British Raj as unfair criticism,the treatment meted out by many senior officers to their subordinates leaves a lot to be desired. Outside the precinct of the state police headquarters,a senior police officer stepped out of his office to head home. He was followed by his usual retinue of support staff. The officer waited in the porch for his gleaming Honda City to arrive. As soon as it did,the officer promptly got into the back seat. Meanwhile,his two helpers had to wriggle into the front seat,next to the driver. Apparently,this is a daily routine as the officer does not like sharing a seat with his orderlies.

For the love of the game

BJP leader Gopinath Munde filing nomination papers for the post of Mumbai Cricket Association president,challenging NCP President Sharad Pawar,has triggered a minor stand-off between the two parties. NCP workers are questioning Munde’s sporting credentials. Some had even called some BJP leaders to find out the extent of Munde’s love for sports and whether he has ever earned even a single sports trophy in his school or college days. Meanwhile,the Munde camp is upset that rivals are poking fun at their leader. One leader said,Munde may not have won sporting laurels,but he surely knows how to bowl googlies as well as bouncers to his rivals. BJP leaders also say that Pawar was known more for wrestling rather than cricket.

WhatsApp,cops

Apart from sending pictures to share fun moments or even consult friends to make shopping choices,WhatsApp is being put to a more innovative and serious use. For instance,personnel at Marine Drive police station used the messaging application to speed up investigation in a robbery case. The police had detained three suspects for allegedly attacking Tardeo resident Meherjaan Lamberaj in a robbery attempt at Marine Drive. However,they were unable to make any progress as they were waiting for Lamberaj to recover and come to the police station to identify the suspects. Left with no option,they finally sent her pictures of the suspects via WhatsApp.

If the noose fits…

Consoling one of the 18 BMC officials against whom an administrative inquiry is in progress,improvements committee chairman Ram Barot took to story-telling from lands far far away to drive home a point. Once upon a time,a king ordered for a throne. When he sat on it,it collapsed, Barot began. The king ordered that the worker responsible be hanged. However,for the first man they caught,the noose was too loose and for the second man,it was too tight. Finally they decided to nab a man whose neck fit the noose perfectly. That is exactly what has happened to you,my friend, Barot said sympathetically to the angry official.

Next in line

This one or the next one? is the running joke among the ranks of the Mumbai police these days. With the transfer of IPS officers being delayed for what might be the longest period in recent times,junior level officers have started cracking jokes on the subject. Whenever an official letter asking for a certain approval or funds for some work is sent to a senior police officer,his juniors turn to each other and jokingly place bets on whether the officer will take a decision on it or whether his successor will end up doing so. This one or the next one? they ask each other.