Chaos Theory

Only goes to prove that there is no getting away from chaos for the Speaker,even outside the Lok Sabha.

Chaos Theory

She obviously knew the futility of any such statement. Which is why Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar did not utter the familiar words which she frequently uses for errant MPs: Baith jaiye,kripya baith jaiye Sit down,please sit down! The turnout at the launch of the Surajkund craft fair got so big at one stage that even VIPs,including Kumar,the chief guest,felt the impact of the surge of the crowd. Only goes to prove that there is no getting away from chaos for the Speaker,even outside the Lok Sabha.

Prayer for Votes

The two most prominent Muslim faces of the BJP,Syed Shahnawaz Hussain and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi,are facing a peculiar problem while campaigning in Uttar Pradesh. Their election meetings invariably end up getting organised near a mosque. I have often told the organisers to hold the meeting somewhere else. Am I a Mullah or what? Hussain remarked in jest recently. For the party though,the only interest would seem to be that at least they are attracting some Muslim crowds,which would hopefully translate into some Muslim votes in its favour.

Food for Thought

MEMBERS of a Parliamentary panel recently took the opportunity of the presence of the Air India chairman and Managing Director before them to register their complaint about the food being served on domestic flights. One MP is said to have questioned the rationale of serving paneer on the morning flights while the other objected to potatoes. Chastened,the CMD has ordered the scrapping of breakfast menu entirely on all flights of less than an hours duration. It has decided to serve only fruit juice and roasted nuts.

Seeking Credit

APPARENTLY,over 65,000 different types of works are being undertaken under the Integrated Action Plan for the worst-affected Naxal districts. And the Planning Commission which sanctions money directly to the district administration under this programme to launch development initiatives is said to be amused at why the government is unable to claim any credit for it. With more than 50 per cent of these works said to be already complete,the Planning Commission is learnt to have written to district authorities to submit five examples of innovative and successfully-completed works which had a direct bearing on the well being of the tribal population. With the 12th Plan set to start from next fiscal,such an exercise can be seen as an attempt not just to highlight the achievements of the programme but also to extract more resources for these districts in future.

Hats Off

NEARLY two years back,the then environment minister Jairam Ramesh had termed convocation gowns and hats as remains of a barbaric colonial legacy and had urged institutes to switch to traditional wear for the event. The Gujarat Technical University was one of the first to take his advice seriously and junked the gowns to don kurta-pyjamas instead. Many other institutes had also supported Jairams idea. Not the students at the new IIT at Patna,though. When the Board of Governors of IIT Patna recently approved a proposal to bring in traditional wear for convocation ceremony,the students protested. They wanted nothing but the famed gown and hat. The administration could do little but bow down to the sentiments of the students.