Delhi underground

The BJP8217;s first 8216;karyakarta sammelan8217; at 25, Moti Nagar saw an impressive turnout, thanks to party workers, municipal councillors and a curious audience.

No pain, no gain
The BJP8217;s first 8216;karyakarta sammelan8217; at 25, Moti Nagar saw an impressive turnout, thanks to party workers, municipal councillors and a curious audience. But it turned out to be a long wait before the food was served, for it was the prospect of free dinner that had lured many an underprivileged voters to the rally. With an unending list of party workers choosing the function to profess allegiance to their candidate Subhash Sachdeva, an increasingly impatient audience was made to wait for the rich dinner. Interestingly, while some young boys, who later served as waiters, waited for their turn at work, they doubled up as a cheering squad, cheering and sloganeering in the meanwhile.

Going nowhere
The recent reshuffling of district courts didn8217;t only see lawyers and litigants running about in a bid to find out about the status of their cases. Some judges too were caught up in the confusion about new courtrooms and cabins. Ordinarily very particular about their rooms and private cabins, a number of judges were left in a tricky spot when they readily left their old rooms but found that their new rooms were still occupied by judicial officers, who were also expecting to be shifted to new rooms and cabins. These judges reasoned that since courtrooms assigned to them had not been vacated by previous officers, they could not move out to 8220;nowhere8221;.

Unequal law
The day Utsav Bhasin8217;s third bail plea was dismissed by a city court, a different judge 8220;unofficially8221; put forth a different opinion. According to him, a drunken truck driver could easily secure bail by mowing down a number of people but if you cause an accident with a 8220;BMW car8221;, relief is a far-fetched proposition. Worse, if the accident occurred in a South Delhi area, the media would ensure that a stringent legal provision is slapped against you so that you are not out on bail, he said.

Low-floor drama
It8217;s an issue the BJP will not be raising in its campaign this Assembly polls 8212; last month, the BJP had made the purchase of low-floor buses and the alleged 8220;scam8221; therein an issue in the Delhi Assembly. Numerous press releases were sent and allegations were made that the Sheila Dikshit government had favoured a Tata bid over Ashok Leyland. The BJP went on to contend that Leyland was supplying the same buses in Chennai for Rs 14 lakh, as against those in Delhi being bought for Rs 42 lakh. The basis for the BJP allegations was an RTI filed by the party8217;s RTI wing, in which the Chennai administration furnished details of its bus purchases, and the BJP went to town with the figures. There was one small hitch however. The buses purchased from Ashok Leyland in Chennai weren8217;t low-floor at all but semi low-floor. Besides, these buses didn8217;t have an automatic suspension, electronic sign boards, tubeless tyres and a host of other features that made the Delhi buses that much more expensive, government sources said. After the matter was made public, the Chennai authorities quickly dashed off a clarification to the Delhi government, as well as the Delhi BJP, leaving the party leaders red-faced. Sources said the RTI wing of the BJP has since been hauled up.

Kindergarten blues
Nursery admissions are certainly bringing out the best and the worst in parents in the city. Blogs and community portals are full of anxious parents sharing admission dates, tips on cracking it this year, and even inspirational poetry and prose to help each other cope with any disappointment and give hope. Summet Singh Luthra, a parent, posted 8220;Living on a Hope, A Smile8221; on a portal saying his lines might help people get through the ordeal of admissions with a smile. When it comes to nursery admissions in Delhi, even miracles fall short of helping people. What can help are wads of notes and contacts, as one parent posted on the website. Everyday, as admissions open up in city schools, parents are pouring out all information, and in addition to their frustrations, are giving their inner artist free rein.

Right side of the law
Getting arrested by the police may be the worst thing for many but if it is a mass arrest, it could be a dream come true. Recently, when the Delhi Police arrested around 600 JNU students while they were protesting the Supreme Court stay on students8217; union elections, the students were allowed to stroll in the courtyard of the Parliament Street police station, while politicians came over to encourage them. 8220;It was unlike any other experience. It was fun and soon enough we were allowed to go back,8221; a student said after being released.

Differing accounts
Two airhostesses were injured after their car crashed with another at a traffic signal in Rajouri Garden recently. Residents gathered at the spot and told media that the girls8217; car hit a stationary car before turning over twice. Residents also claimed that there were bottles of alcohol in the car and the girls then beat up the driver of the other car with their friend. When contacted, the police, however, said the driver of the so-called 8220;dry8221; vehicle was drunk and that he had hit the girls8217; car. Talk about disparity between eyewitness accounts and the police8217;s account.

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Elections first
With the countdown for Delhi Assembly elections coming to a close, all other things, it seems, have been put aside for the polls. At an MCD school in the city, the principal and three senior teachers were huddled together in the principal8217;s office, working on the electoral rolls of the area during school hours. The students, meanwhile, wrote answers for questions given at the back of the chapters using a 8220;kunji8221;. 8220;What do we do? This has to be finished first and there is a lot of paperwork,8221; a flustered principal said.