Opinion Arjun’s model behaviour

Just months before former Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah was arrested for his role in the alleged fake encounter killing of Sohrabuddin,he inaugurated a new wing in Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati prison. Shah,who was also the Minister for Jails,okayed several improvements at Sabarmati,including the addition of a visiting hall where inmates can meet their relatives. Now Shah is languishing in the that same jail. He has been allotted a cell in the old section of the prison,lodged in a room once occupied by Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Since the minister’s arrival as an inmate,the jail has been further spruced up and many of the senior police officers from the headquarters at the secretariat are seen frequently inspecting the jail premises.

Opposite sides

The Home Ministry and the Defence Ministry are frequently at loggerheads. One bone of contention is whether military helicopters should be used for combing operations in areas under Naxal occupation. A more recent dispute is whether the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Kashmir should be withdrawn. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appeared to support the Home Ministry’s point of view when earlier this week at an all-party meet to discuss the Kashmir crisis,he said that he understood the concern in Kashmir over the imposition of AFSPA. However,shortly after his speech,the PMO contacted the media and emphasised that the PM’s observation did not amount to suggesting that AFSPA will be shelved.

Unwelcome in stable

Jaswant Singh on his Arabian steed dressed in full riding regalia used to be a familiar sight in the early mornings on Delhi’s Ridge. But the BJP leader has had to discontinue his morning rides. Singh,who owns two horses in Delhi,used to lodge them at the Rashtrapati Bhavan stables which are close to both the riding grounds and his government bungalow. The President’s Bodyguard was happy to oblige a former soldier who has had a distinguished career in government. Former President Abdul Kalam readily gave his consent. But President Pratibha Patil has reversed Kalam’s orders and Singh had per force to remove his horses to a distant part of the city.

Left turn to religion

Religion is contemptuously dubbed “the opiate of the masses” in Marxist demonology. In the past,Indian comrades who displayed any sign of religiousness were censured by the party bosses. But attitudes seem to have changed. At the CPI(M) meet of the extended central committee in Vijaywada last week,a number of delegates visited the famous Kanak Durga temple in the vicinity. Many returned carrying prasadfrom the temple and made no attempt to hide their visit to the famous shrine.

Fears for her life

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee fervently believes that for her the real danger comes not from Naxals,but from the Marxists. In fact,before leaving for the rally at Lalgarh,a Naxalite bastion,she informed her followers earnestly that she feared for her life and instructed in case anything happened to her,they should continue with her movement. The Trinamool Congress’s apprehensions for Banerjee’s safety have increased after a lorry rammed into her convoy recently. Her aide Sudip Bandopadhyay raised the issue in West Bengal,demanding a probe to find out how the lorry was allowed to crash into the convoy,particularly as Banerjee is protected by Z-plus security. It seems the lorry hit the car carrying IB sleuths.

Come September

Two important judgments which have been pending for long are to be finally pronounced this September. In Uttar Pradesh,the court will rule on the petition concerning the title of the Ayodhya mosque and whether there was a Ram Mandir originally at that site. In Gujarat,the court will decree who was responsible for setting fire to the train bogies in Godhra in 2002,triggering a terrible communal backlash.