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Journalism of Courage
At a time relations between the government and Opposition parties are not very cordial, there was a goodwill gesture from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. On Friday evening, he went to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram to visit ailing Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was once defence minister.
Rajnath, also a former CM of Uttar Pradesh, could not meet Mulayam. But he spent over 30 minutes speaking with Mulayam’s son and SP leader Akhilesh Yadav and doctors. Earlier, Rajnath had spoken with Akhilesh over the phone to enquire about Mulayam.
Change Of Mind
He was among the 50-odd leaders who had signed Shashi Tharoor’s nomination papers. Praveen Davar, a former functionary of the AICC’s ex-serviceman department, however, sprang a surprise Friday by favouring a consensus approach instead of an election. In a tweet, he argued that it may be a good idea if some senior leader or leaders seek a consensus the way K Kamaraj did in 1964 and 1967. He added that it is “never too late”. Davar’s comments came a day after the Tharoor camp complained to the party’s central election authority that some of his proposers are being “pressured and intimidated” to change their stance.
Surprise Venue
NITI Aayog CEO Parameswaran Iyer is hosting an informal interactive afternoon over lunch for all the flexi pool/consultants and young professionals working in the government’s think tank, on Saturday. It is learnt that one of the objectives of the event is to introduce the staff to the Aayog’s “priority projects”. The event will be hosted at the University of Chicago Center in New Delhi. However, the choice of the venue has surprised many, as the NITI Aayog building has well-equipped meeting places, including a big committee room where even the Prime Minister has chaired meetings in the past.
