Straws in the wind

That’s exactly what business tycoon and AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi’s husband Robert Vadra did on Sunday.
Straws in the wind

Vadra posts Paraguay flag with vote selfie
You can’t just forget how your national flag looks and expect to get away with it, without coming under severe fire. Especially if you are a public figure, and part of the Gandhi dynasty, to boot. That’s exactly what business tycoon and AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi’s husband Robert Vadra did on Sunday. Like many Indians on voting day, Vadra posted a selfie of his inked finger and urged fellow voters to exercise their franchise. He urged people to vote for a secular, safe, productive future of ‘our’ country, except the flag he used in his tweet was not an Indian flag. Whether it was a hurry or sheer carelessness, Vadra ended up tweeting the Paraguay flag, in a blunder of epic proportions! Of course, the tweet was deleted, but screenshots of the ‘case of mistaken flag’ had already gone viral. Someone from his PR team has some serious questions to answer, we guess.

Rebirth and a brand new HBD
Sunday was a day of celebrations for MLA Lakshmi Hebbalkar, who offered prayers and spent time with supporters. Dozens of fans thronged her residence to wish her a happy birthday. But there’s a lot more to this May 12 ‘birthday’. The fiesty Congress Belgaum Rural MLA made it known that she has discarded February 14,her actual birth date, because she was reborn on May 12, 2018, the day the people voted for her in the Karnataka assembly elections. “By electing me, the people have given me virtually a new lease of life. Is not this date more important than the day I was born?” she asked. Well, if that’s the logic, then Ms Hebbalkar can stake claim to be the youngest MLA -- in fact, she’s just a yearling! But we do wish to offer counsel: that voters are capricious, and times change too, especially in the merry-go-round called politics. Or is the canny MLA only pulling a publicity stunt?

Satish wants road named after him
While the brothers Jarkiholi are busy washing their dirty linen in public, one particular group is hastily trying to name an important road in Belagavi city after forests minister Satish Jarkiholi. When the proposal to change Udyambag Road to Satish Jarkiholi Road was popped at the Belagavi City Corporation general body meeting in December last year, none of the 57 councillors objected. For the brothers, who belong to parties across the political spectrum, and are always in the news for their political rivalry, enjoy mass support from party workers in both the Congress and BJP in this region. Although some leaders in Belagavi raised some objections and questioned the Jarkiholis’ contribution to Belagavi city, it is not known how many objections were submitted to the corporation. The proposal passed muster in the civic council and was sent to the government for approval. Now, Udyambag Road falls in Belagavi North assembly segment, represented by BJP MLA Abhay Patil. So naming it after Satish Jarkiholi may not be very easy for the government, and may finally never take off.

Rahul’s aide takes a break  
Kaushal K Vidyarthee, one of Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s key aides, had tweeted a few weeks ago that he had never been more frightened in his life, than on his ride on an aircraft with Rahul in April 2018. They were on their way from New Delhi to Hubballi in north Karnataka to campaign for the assembly elections. The craft had developed a snag, lost altitude and nosedived sharply. There were suspicions of a conspiracy, and the Congress had even lodged a police complaint. Then, Kaushal Vidyarthee was a witness. An Oxford graduate, he was part of Rahul’s contingent this year too. Well, he’s taken a break
from the poll circus to celebrate, after he became a proud papa a few days ago. After six phases of voting, we don’t know whether Rahul is smiling or not, but Vidyarthee is definitely on top of the world.

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