Delhi Confidential: Striking a Chord

IN KERALA’S Pathanamthitta district, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was heard singing a parody song used by the Congress to bring attention to the Sabarimala gold theft case. Addressing the crowd, the Congress MP sang “swarnam kattathu aarappa (who stole the gold)” to which the crowd sang back “Saghakkalaane Ayyappa (the comrades did it)”. Gandhi’s Malayalam pronunciation may be off the mark, but the lyrics were correct, courtesy senior party leader K C Venugopal who taught him the song, said sources.

Campaign Mode

THE BJP’s top brass is all set to embark on a hectic poll campaign this week for Assam, Kerala and Puducherry, where Assembly elections are scheduled for April 9. Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and party’s national president Nitin Nabin will travel from state to state to ensure a sustained show of strength. The BJP’s campaign is likely to conclude with a grand rally or a roadshow by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in each state.