Policing the police

Asha Bhosle has slammed the police force in the state for being rude.

Policing the police

Asha Bhosle has slammed the police force in the state for being rude. There appeared to be no immediate trigger for the veteran singers unexpected outburst,which came on Tuesday after she was conferred an honorary D Litt by the Nashik-based Yeshwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University . She said police personnel were arrogant and lacked manners and urged the university,which conducts non-conventional courses and imparts long-distance education to dropouts,to consider training the cops too. Home Minister R R Patil initially tried to play down the matter by saying that if Bhosle had any specific complaint it could be investigated. Later,however,it was learnt that he has asked senior officials to ensure that the police personnel got some lessons in courtesy.

Jaitapur and politics

Industry Minister Narayan Rane and his son Nilesh aggressively took on Shiv Sena activists opposing the Jaitapur nuclear project during an interaction with Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan in Konkan. Rane and his son,the local MP,shouted down speakers including local Sena MLA Rajan Salvi and Dr Milind Desai. If that was not enough,Desai and 12 others were then arrested in a two-year-old case of rioting. Chavan is trying to promote the project but seems to have left the entire issue to Rane,whose attitude may end up isolating the Congress further. The districts guardian minister,Bhaskar Jadhav NCP,stayed away from the interaction. The Sena and leftists have been agitating but the BJP has not. There has been no effort to build an all-party consensus.

Self-professed ruffian

Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar,who is appreciated by his supporters for being outspoken and disliked by his detractors for being arrogant,has his own definition of his attitude. At a meeting of a cooperative body recently,the leader said that only ruffians can survive and succeed in politics and that he,too,is a ruffian. It amounts to an endorsement by the minister of the use of force by politicians,particularly those like Ajit Pawar who have grown up in rich and powerful political families. Ironically,political parties,including Ajit Pawars NCP,perpetually complain that not enough gentlemen join politics. Ajit Pawars theory about success and description of himself should tell them its not gentlemen who survive.

Race for credit

An NCP delegation led by Ajit Pawar is set to approach Prithviraj Chavan soon with a demand that the existing reservation for women in local self-governing bodies be hiked from 33 per cent to 50. The decision was taken at the NCP conclave attended by Sharad Pawar last weekend. The NCPs move has,however,raised heckles within the Congress,which has pointed out that the Union Cabinet has already approved the 50 per cent quota for women and the legislation is in process. Congressmen say the NCP has always tried to hijack credit. For instance,hours after the Centre waived farm loans worth Rs 70,000 crore,the NCP displayed banners in Maharashtra with Pawars pictures as a farmers messiah.