Northeast
Powered Cut
Assam minister for power Pallab Lochan Das is in the eye of a storm for his failure to save people in the floods, in which 38 people were electrocuted. Rumours have
it that Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who met senior officials of the department to take stock of the situation, was very annoyed with Das even as the opposition parties were demanding his ouster.
Confused Cadre
Workers of Nagaland’s ruling Naga People’s Front (NPF) are a confused lot as the party is hit by factionalism. The NPF has been split into two factions, with each being led by Chief Minister T R Zeliang and his predecessor and party chief Shurhozelie Liezietsu. With Assembly elections just nine months away, NPF workers—particularly ticket aspirants—are confused which side to go with. For now, they are maintaining equi-closeness to both factions.
Maharashtra
Fine with Fine
Former Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde had to cough up `2,560 as a fine to get his driving licence renewed. The former Maharashtra chief minister’s licence expired in 1965, when he was a bailiff in the Solapur court. He was handed over his new licence at the Regional Transport Office in Solapur.
Conspicuous Absence
Tanaji Sawant, who owns sugar mills and educational institutes, was sent to the legislative council by Shiv Sena last year. However, he has never been seen in the House after his oath taking. When a starred question was seen against his name on the first day of the session, the Shiv Sena had a tough time explaining his absence. A few days ago, Sawant was seen in a video saying he would make the state beg.
Punjab
A Special Gift
Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu was at his witty best during a recent flagging off of fire tenders where some of his Cabinet colleagues and MLAs were present. Sidhu quipped, “Khaas kay liye aam tohfa (for the special, a normal gift).” He added that since AAP MLA and the party’s state vice-president Aman Arora had asked for a fire tender for his Dhuri constituency, the first one would go there. Sidhu also jokingly told Arora that as he had left the Congress and joined AAP, he should do a “ghar vapasi” (homecoming).
Uniting in Death
When CM Amarinder Singh’s 96-year-old mother Mohinder Kaur died on July 24, politicians from the ruling Congress and the Opposition attended her cremation in Patiala. Laying aside their differences, former CM Parkash Singh Badal and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal paid their condolences to the Captain at Moti Bagh Palace, the ancestral residence of the Patiala royal family.
To Retire or not to Retire
Punjab government employees and officers who were on an extension of two years after retiring are in a fix. The earlier SAD-BJP government had extended their retirement age to 60 years, but the new Congress government has brought it back to 58 years. Staffers over 58 years of age now don’t know whether to work or not to.
Bihar
Jogi Targets IAS Officer
Former CM Ajit Jogi is targeting senior IAS officer Reena Babasahab Kangale, who was the chairman of the scrutiny committee that rejected his claim of being a tribal. Jogi says Kangale went to Dubai without official approval, and shopped there. “After her return, the state government was preparing
to take action against her.
The only way out for her was to prepare a report against me” says 70-year-old bureaucrat-turned-politician Jogi.