Going up in gas

The 25th anniversary of the Bhopal gas tragedy renewed media interest,but political parties looked the other way.

The 25th anniversary of the Bhopal gas tragedy renewed media interest,but political parties looked the other way. While Minister for Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Babulal Gaur earlier announced that the doors of the plant would be thrown open for the public but backed out,perhaps sensing that it may backfire given that his daughter-in-law is contesting for the mayor8217;s post from Bhopal. Gaur8217;s explanation that the electoral code of conduct forced him to shelve the idea had no takers. Also,while parties usually promised compensation for the residents of 20 wards in new Bhopal who were left out,this time neither the Congress nor the BJP included the issue in their manifesto for the civic elections.

Duets with a difference

As the state prepared for the recent civic elections,there was music in the air. Campaign managers used old favourites from Hindi movies with lyrics tweaked to include the names of candidates to attract voters. But there was something a little offbeat about the golden oldies this time. Since 50 per cent seats have been reserved for women,several campaign managers struggled to include the name of the candidates husband in the song. The reason: several candidates were first-timers but their husbands had political clout. While this took its toll on rhythm and meter,campaign managers seemed to believe artistic liberties were in tune with politics.

A jail break

Among those affected by the code of conduct enforced in view of the elections to urban bodies were convicts lodged in central jails across the state. Prisoners who have served more than 10 years of their term will now be allowed to receive two five-minute calls per week. Only those convicts whose houses are located 50 km or more from the jail premises will benefit from the facility. The pilot project was first carried out in Bhopal8217;s central jail and will be implemented in others soon. The facility will come as a relief to relatives who had to not only spend money but also time in just reaching their incarcerated near and dear ones.

Hum hain ek

One of the common grouses against bureaucrats in MP is that they dont identify with the state and,by extension,are not interested in its development. The same can be said about much of the population,believes the BJP government,which has come out with a song about MP and made its singing compulsory in government schools and colleges. The government,however,has refrained from calling it an MP song,more so after the controversy over Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhans comments about Biharis getting jobs in the state. The Congress had criticised the idea of a special song,but Chouhan insisted it was necessary.