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Journalism of Courage
On the birthday of Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav that falls on July 1, the party will start a week-long plantation drive titled “PDA ped” (PDA tree). The ‘PDA’ acronym coined by Akhilesh stands for a rainbow coalition of “Pichhda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak” (OBCs, Dalits and minorities). The party plans to plant peepal, banyan and neem saplings in villages across Uttar Pradesh. A party leader said ‘PDA ped’ will counter ‘shakhas’ of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The idea is to grow plants with strong roots that are also environment friendly, the leader said. He said small displays with a message of social justice will be put up near every ‘PDA ped’.
Milind Deora, a former Congress leader now in the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, seems to have won many admirers with his first speech in Rajya Sabha last week. In the speech, he justified his new political identity, pointing out how his father, the late Murli Deora, was supported by Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray in 1975 in becoming the mayor of Bombay. Prominent among those who appreciated his speech was Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. In a personal message to Deora, Dhankhar said it was “enriching and informative”, it is learnt.
