Mission against malnutrition

On the very first day after Vilasrao Deshmukh took over as Chief Minister, the main entrance gate of Mantralaya was closed for the staff and visitors. The sudden action fuelled rumours that there was a security threat to the most guarded building in Mumbai. ‘‘It has nothing to do with any security threat,’’ explained Assistant Commissioner of Police Madhusudan Kurne, who is in charge of the Mantralaya security. The decision was a pre-planned step as part of overall security measures, he insisted.

Unaware of this, many staff members cursed the new government for making them walk a few yards extra to enter Mantralaya. Not a good beginning for the Congress-NCP government. Already, the two parties have drawn enough flak for the two-week-long tussle over sharing power.

Sainiks see red in Uddhav’s flight

After the blow in the Assembly polls, Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray has flown to colder climes across the seven seas. While partymen don’t mind his latest flight, his increased reluctance to meet them has dwindled his equity in the party’s political arena. An angry leader, turned away from the Thackeray residence without an audience with either Bal Thackeray or Uddhav, said the latter needed a lesson on coping with defeat.

The essential politics of onions

When the UPA Government deleted onions from the list of essential commodities, it expected an applause from all concerned — farmers, traders and exporters in North Maharashtra. However, it hardly made any difference to them. Though the NDA government had included onions in the list in 1998 following the infamous scarcity of onions, the legal provisions in the Essential Commodities Act were never enforced. No wonder, this had no effect on its prices or trade. Likewise, its removal from the list of essentials has had no effect on prices or trading.

The NDA’s gesture was political. The BJP had lost elections in four states in 1998 and the defeat was attributed to onion prices then. The UPA’s announcement, too, is political. Campaigning in the onion belt during the Assembly polls, Sharad Pawar had promised relief to onion growers.