Religious Discourse @Assembly
If Digambar Jain muni Tarunsagar’s appearance and bitter discourse (kadve pravachan) caused some blushes in the Haryana Assembly, they were well hidden. Cutting across party lines, MLAs gathered like an obedient flock and listened to him with straight faces. Muni Tarunsagar, a preacher of non-violence, is against the sale and export of meat. But in the Assembly, he ticked off lawmakers more for rampant female foeticide in their state. He had a few words of advice for ‘violence exporter’ Pakistan as well. It seems why Manoharlal Khattar’s gov-ernment opened up the doors of the legislature to religious discourse is because he was given a deadline to improve the “moral fibre” of the MLAs! Given the ‘deep influence’ of Tusharsagar on the PM (his lectures were published in Ahmedabad during Narendra Modi’s tenure), the RSS (which withdrew leather belts from their uniform on his advice) and Baba Ramdev, the Khattar dispensation felt no one fits the bill better than the Jain. The Assembly was reconvened, and the saint, who does not using a fig leaf, was seated above the Governor and the CM.
Angry Ben
Photo-ops aside, former Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel is clearly miffed. So efforts are on to make her accept a gubernatorial assignment, like a cooling ice-cream after a tough meal. After she declined the governorship of Punjab, it seems Karnataka was offered. The third Raj Bhavan awaiting a new resident is Tamil Nadu.
No Safety This
At a panel discussion on the 10th anniversary of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, the Health Ministry was in a bit of a hot (noodle) soup. Not because of the topic, but because of the panel. Sharing the dais with FSSAI chairman Ashish Bahuguna was Nestle India top honcho Suresh Narayana, discussing the pros and cons of food safety in India. Much to his own visible discomfiture, the Additional Secretary, Health was also part of the panel. He raised a shindig post session. Nestle India may have put the Maggi controversy behind them, but the case is still sub judice in the Supreme Court. FSSAI and Nestle are in opposite camps. Health Ministry babus later heaved a sigh of relief that at least Health Minister J P Nadda was not present. Someone better observe two minutes of silence for those who planned the event!
UP from Raisina Hill
The Uttar Pradesh elections are crucial for several reasons. It’s expected to have a kind of domino impact on the next round of polls, like in Gujarat. And BJP chief Amit Shah has been rather candid in admitting it. But what is not being so openly discussed is the likely impact of the UP results on the Presidential elections. Who will be in the race for the Rashtrapati Bhavan perch may well depend on the outcome of the UP elections.
Mission Kashmir
The situation in Kashmir Valley has the political class in New Delhi no less worried than their counterparts in Srinagar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi told J&K Opposition leaders that the use of “security forces” to quell protests “is a compulsion”, not “a desirable option”. Since reaching out to civil society has been identified as the better option, the CPI-M and CPI have come up with their own initiative. They are organising a convention on Kashmir at the Constitution Club on September 5. Apart from politicians, the invitees are from all walks of life. Whether separatist leaders will be called is yet to be decided. CPI-M leader from J&K M Y Tarigami has been active in finding ways to defuse the situation.