Tags:
Journalism of Courage
One of the early visitors to the Badrinath shrine in Uttarakhand,which was opened for pilgrims on Sunday,happened to be industrialist Anil Ambani. Incidentally,corporate lobbyist Niira Radia,whose telephone tapes led to the biggest political scandal in recent times,also happened to visit the shrine at the same time. Another VIP pilgrim,who was eye-witness to the chance encounter,saw the two exchange an uncomfortable glance and move on without saying anything to each other.
Food for Thought
Self before Service
Samajwadi Party MP Shailendra Kumar seemed to be speaking on behalf of many of his fellow parliamentarians when he proposed in the Lok Sabha on Monday that the flats in the Commonwealth Games Village,which are yet to find takers,be given to the MPs at the cost at which they were built. There was a loud thumping of desks by several MPs at this proposal. Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath,however,poured cold water on their hopes later in the evening,saying these flats were in the process of being auctioned in batches and could not be given to the MPs.
Spoken Threat
Trinamool Congresss newly nominated Rajya Sabha member,senior Bengali journalist Kunal Ghosh,gave a taste of his aggressive pro-Mamata stance to his fellow RS member from CPM K N Balagopal on Monday. While delivering his maiden speech on the mass grave issue in Bengal,Ghosh was continuously interrupted by Balagopal who,along with other Left members,were seen taking exception to Ghoshs speech. As a comeback,Ghosh cautioned that if Balagopal continued to disturb him in his maiden address,he would make sure that Balagopal is unable to speak through the next six years. Much to the amusement of the House,Ghosh was then able to complete his speech without much further interruptions.
Statistical Probability
The Chief Statistician of India T C A Anant who also happens to be Secretary to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation had decided not to move into his government accommodation at Moti Bagh after his appointment had been set aside by the Central Administrative Tribunal in October last year,within months of his taking over. However,with the governments appeal still pending in High Court the next date of hearing is said to be in October Anant,who continues to be in office in the meanwhile,finally moved into the house recently. Incidentally,the grapevine has it that Anant,a highly-respected economist,is a strong contender for the post of the Chief Economic Advisor once incumbent Kaushik Basus term comes to an end in a few months time.
