Empty Rally for Rajnath
Union Home Minister was in for a surprise when he went to address a rally on UP’s Sonbhadra. Instead of a cheering crowd, the venue was empty. The BJP leader went off to meet his son’s in-laws. By the time he returned, party workers—who were hauled up by seniors—managed to fill the arena with a large crowd.
Farewell to his Salute
In a departure from tradition, CRPF Director General K Durga Prasad—who retired from service on February 28—did not take the salute at ceremonial farewell parade on the last day of his office. Sources say the decision to give a miss to the ritual was taken after reports on the desertion of 59 commandos of the elite Combat Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA).
Rs 70,000 crore of black money has been detected, said a Supreme Court appointed SIT
Blowin’ in the Goan Wind
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, known for his wit, gave an apt reply when asked about which way is the wind blowing for BJP in his home state Goa. Pat came the answer from Goa’s former CM: “If you are in Siachen, you desperately look out for warm winds. But when you are in Telangana, you’d like to have cool winds.”
Presidential Problem
With the Rashtrapati Bhawan set for a change of guard, officials in the President’s secretariat are a worried lot. Those who were inducted during the previous UPA regime don’t want to be tagged as Congress sympathisers as they might not get good postings in their parent cadre.
Playing the Right Music
The Ministry of Women and Child Development under Maneka Gandhi has tuned into rap music to drive home the point about women’s equality after its social media campaign failed to attract eyeballs. The song has been sung by Ritu Vasu Primlani, a stand-up comedian and environmentalist.
Tooth & Nail
“The GDP numbers are surprising and highly suspect. The GDP growth as projected is questionable and will also undermine the credibility of Indian data globally.”
Anand Sharma, Congress spokesperson
“In November and December, the economy grew by 7.5 per cent. For the Congress to go into mourning after the country has registered impressive growth numbers is unfortunate.”
Mayawati, BSP chief and former UP CM