Delhi underground

At a time when Raj Thackeray is pointing a finger of suspicion at migrants from Bihar and UP, a small group of these same migrants...

Hindutva calling
At a time when Raj Thackeray is pointing a finger of suspicion at migrants from Bihar and UP, a small group of these same migrants, settled in Govardhan Bihari Colony in the Capital, are fighting for Hindutva, a la Thackeray. With the slogan 8216;Rambhakta ne thana hai, Ram setu ko bachana hai8217; painted on his shop, Jai Narayan Gupta, national president of the 8216;Hindu Raksha Parishad8217;, hands out pamphlets propagating staunch 8216;Hindu8217; principles. Curiously, he and many other residents of the colony, who also run small shops, have been quietly pushing for Hindutva, not just by handing out pamphlets but also by taking time off from their daily routine to explain how, as a 8216;Hindu8217;, one should let the Hindu population grow manifold!

Cast out
Youth For Equality YFE, best known for their anti-reservation gimmicks, are back to hog the limelight by being 8220;different8221;. While all of JNU is up in arms against the Supreme Court stay order on students8217; union elections, YFE has maintained a distance, saying it supports the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines. But their stance has not fooled any one, as it is common knowledge in JNU circles that YFE is backing the court decision only because they would benefit the most if the Lyngdoh guidelines were implemented. Recent reports also say they have been barred from all meetings of JNU and have become the general outcasts, ironically enough.

Tip-off blues
Amid high drama, the Ghaziabad police rushed to Loni after receiving a tip-off that a bomb had been planted in a briefcase in the main market. The Loni market area was cordoned off and shopkeepers whisked away from danger. Residents of the locality were terrified on hearing this news. The bomb disposal squad had also been rushed in. But this drama had a comical end. Instead of a bomb, there were bricks and stones in the briefcase and children who were trying to have a look at the bomb burst out laughing. Embarrassed, the police refrained from commenting on the whole episode.

Poll antics
As anger and resentment continues to simmer among party workers of the Congress in Delhi over election tickets, party workers could not resist fighting during a function commemorating the death anniversary of Indira Gandhi on October 31. If allegations of sycophancy and money exchanging hands were not enough, a certain section of dissidents raised a banner against the lack of representation for Poorvanchalis from Uttarakhand, UP and Bihar in the list of possible candidates for the forthcoming elections, after the usually sombre commemoration function. The matter was raised in a party meeting on Friday, following which a section of workers from North District gave in their papers in protest. Party chief J P Aggarwal dismissed the entire episode as 8220;immature8221; and said such protests were valid only if the list was final, which it was not.

Beasts of burden
The setting up of the new district courts was a move welcomed by one and all, even if the court staff grudged one particular administrative decision. With the courts getting shuffled, they were required to carry court records to the new courts and they did not mind the work. What bothered them was a directive restraining them from carrying the cabinets that contained these records. Reason? The cabinets could damage the newly laid tiles in the complex. As a result, the files had to be carried on their own, much to the frustration of the staff.

Court in a hurry
The penultimate day before the courts were distributed district-wise, was replete with moments never witnessed before in the highly disciplined courtroom situations. During a hearing, as soon as the judge finished dictating the order, court staff moved to pull the wire from his computer screen, also connected with the judicial officer8217;s monitor. The judge, in a state of surprise, was then told by the staff they needed to shift everything to the new courtroom and very little time was left, requiring everyone to speed up.

Change of focus
Maybe because of the Assam blasts or the 8220;Hindu8221; terrorists allegedly involved in the Malegaon blasts, the clamour for a judicial inquiry into the Batla House encounter has died down. While the Samajwadi Party continues to sing the same tune, three Congress leaders, including a Union Cabinet minister, who were supportive of the Batla House inquiry, keeping their vote banks in mind, have suddenly backed off. It is not that the Union Minister or his experienced colleagues have had a change of heart but the minister was summoned to the PMO and shown the evidence the police had on the Batla House encounter. Sure enough, from that day, the minister is now focussed on western India.

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Aid de camp
BJP general secretary Arun Jaitely, like all politicians, has his share of enemies. But in the run-up to the Delhi elections, Jaitely was caught unprepared when his friends-turned-foes started targeting even his Man Friday, Om Prakash Sharma. Apparently a CD is doing the rounds showing photographs of the shops owned by Sharma in malls. Sharma, who is a BJP contender for the Vishwas Nagar seat, is a businessman and he invested money earned from the mithai shop he owns near Hanuman Mandir in Jamuna Bazaar wisely. While Sharma is going around the town explaining his legitimate income and shops, Jaitely has an additional task of not only defending himself but even his aide from these barbs.