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Journalism of Courage
Addressing the graduating students of Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) Friday, former vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu was at his humorous best as he shared an anecdote amid the government formation at the Centre. Remembering the coalition government formed under Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he recalled an incident over the allocation of portfolios.
“When Vajpayeeji invited me to join the government and said I’d be given the energy portfolio, I requested him politely to consider some other as I didn’t know the ABCD of energy portfolio,” he said. The then party general secretary was offered the chemical and fertilizer portfolio, which was also not his forte. An impatient Vajpayee then asked him what he wanted.
“I told him, ‘Sir, if agriculture is given, I will be more than happy. He looked at his secretary who told him that agriculture is with Nitish Kumar, an ally. Atalji told me, ‘No, we can’t disturb him. So what next?’ And I told him gramin vikas,” Naidu narrated as the audience broke into laughter. The former vice-president also hailed Vajpayee as the one who was instrumental in improved connectivity by road, air, television, ports, and even politics — “as he brought together 23 parties that proved to be an able and stable government”.
Post-Poll Bickering
The Facebook post of the husband of a BJP office-bearer in the aftermath of the Lok Sabha elections has stirred up a hornests’ nest in Surat. Vikrant Kapadia, a BJP worker himself and the husband of Tejal Kapadia — Surat BJP women’s wing vice-president, took to Facebook Wednesday calling for a boycott of people from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, and stop purchasing things from them.
The BJP had faced electoral setbacks in UP and Rajasthan. The post, which went viral on social media, evoked strong reactions from various sections, with some even abusing Vikrant.
Congress leader Aslam Cyclewala responded to the post saying he should first ask his wife to boycott all the Surat BJP leaders who are from UP and Rajasthan before advising others. The Facebook post was removed after it became controversial.
