Ram Nath Kovind FROM CITING Assam Kesari Ambikagiri Raichoudhury and West Bengal’s Jyotirindranath Tagore to Kerala’s Vallathol Narayana Menon, President Ram Nath Kovind took a poetic route in his address to the joint session of Parliament on Friday. Many MPs did not miss the fact that he referred to the poets of poll-bound states – Assam, West Bengal, and Kerala – with just Tamil Nadu missing from the list. The President brought in Raichoudhury’s poem to say that a united India cannot be defeated, while he invoked a song written by Jyotirindranath Tagore, the elder brother of Rabindranath Tagore, to urge the people to move forward together with self-esteem and confidence of courage and aspire for the nation’s welfare. Malayalam poet Vallathol was remembered for the lyrics he wrote during Independence struggle: “Whenever you hear the name of Bharat, your heart should swell with pride.”
Paternity Leave
VIRAT KOHLI’S paternity leave appears to have inspired some MPs too. TDP’s Ram Mohan Naidu has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla asking for a nine-day paternity leave. In his letter, the Srikakulam MP wrote that he and his wife were expecting their first child next week. “I am eager to stay by her side in the last phase of our pregnancy and for a few days post the coming of the baby,” he wrote, adding that he wanted leave from January 29 to February 10. He said he did not believe that childcare should be solely the responsibility of the mother and that he is looking forward to being an equal contributor for the care and the progress of the child. He promised that he would follow the session remotely.
Meanwhile, The Talks
THE SUPREME Court appointed committee on Friday held another round of interactions with farmer unions on the three farm laws. Seventeen different farmers organisations from 11 states participated in the interaction. While the committee has not given the name of these organisations, it said that they shared their “frank views” and gave their “detailed suggestions” on the three farm Acts.
