From the India Gate: Finding 'CM' in Kerala, season change in UP and more
There is a lot that happens behind the scenes in the corridors of power. Opinions, conspiracies, power games and internal wrangling galore in the political space. Asianet News Network’s massive ground presence taps into the pulse of politics and bureaucracy across the country.
FollowWHO IS CM?
In an old Tamil flick, there is a scene where comedians Goundamani and Senthil fight over a missing plantain. Whenever Senthil asks about the missing plantain, Goundamani, who had eaten it, keeps citing the one remaining.
A similar comic chapter is unfolding in the probe into the Life Mission scam case where Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's 'Man Friday' Sivashankar is facing Enforcement Directorate grilling. A series of chats between him and Swapna Suresh, who had facilitated the deal, is littered with the acronym CM.
Swapna as an employee of the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram, was the catalyst of the deal. Another senior staff in the chief minister's office, C M Raveendran, has also been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate. In many sensitive chats, Sivashankar is seen repeating that he is doing everything with the knowledge of CM. There is also a reference to CM when Swapna says she had met 'CM' and clarified certain points that may have prevented her from securing a plum job.
ED sleuths, like comedian Senthil, are perplexed as to who the CM is. Does it refer to the real CM or C M Raveendran? Definitely, it offers the party a perfect alibi. Maybe, politicians can take a cue from here that they should have a personnel staff member with initials corresponding to their respective positions to evade any legal scrutiny.
Dream merchants, stolen phones and more
HOWZAATTT!!
Call it a different case of queering the pitch. Politics and cricket may not have anything in common. But mushrooming of cricket tournaments in 'Namma' Chikkamagalur during the run-up to elections tells the story of a strange synergy.
The youth of the area know where to knock during the poll season to procure proper cricket gear. They approach local leaders who are ticket aspirants with an "appeal" to inaugurate a local cricket tournament.
And the moment the leader agrees to inaugurate the event, the youth hands over a list detailing the number of bats, balls, helmets, etc., needed for the tournament.
The quid-pro-quo is simple. They assure the leader that their full lung power will be used to cheer for him during the event.
But local leaders who sponsored an event recently were in for a surprise when they found their competing leaders sharing the stage. Though youth shouted slogans in support of each of them, none of the leaders was happy about being bracketed.
Millet Power in Parliament, bureau'crazy' and more
MIDAS TOUCH
The rags-to-riches stories of many close aides of politicians have assumed folklore status. Insiders know it is a give-and-take association rooted in trust.
But a leader on the Magadi Road of Bengaluru, who is the perennial source of gold and cash for almost all Karnataka leaders, badly burnt his fingers recently. He had entrusted loads of cash and jewellery with his most trusted transporter. (Those familiar with the 'Transporter' movie series in Hollywood would know the word is synonymous with trust and commitment.)
But this transporter vanished with the cash and gold. Though the leader's own army searched for the missing black sheep, he could not be traced. The dilemma was that a police complaint, too, couldn’t be filed as the transaction was not totally a black-and-white deal.
Soon they ran up a brick wall and had to approach the police. Sleuths soon traced him and brought him to book. But by then, a considerable portion of the cash had vanished. Maybe it is time to reinvent a new strategy to courier cash and valuables to those in need.
Kannada in Delhi Durbar, Ooty tour plan leak and more
COOKING VOTES
The practice of giving free cookers during elections is nothing new. But many of these "gifts" began exploding on their inaugural contact with fire.
This has sparked a panic wave with prospective voters deciding to politely say no to the 'cooker bombs'. Finding no shortcut to distribute the cookers, mostly procured en masse from cheap manufacturers, a politician from RK Nagar came up with an innovative idea -- to certify the cooker for its safety.
"Our cooker is made by a branded company using advanced technology. It comes with a five-year guarantee and ISI mark. It has the best rating on Google..." the list doesn’t end here. This leader's efforts to regain voters' confidence, even offering free service in case of complaints, continue in his pitch to resume cooker distribution.
'Pilot'less drift, BJP leader's wrong 'park'ing and more
DAMP SQUIB
All members of the Uttar Pradesh assembly expected a vociferous counterattack by Chote Netaji. In fact, his own party men thought the reply to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s comments about his father would be power-packed.
But the over-charged atmosphere fizzled out with Netaji resorting to an emotional plea rather than a point-counterpoint attack. The Chote Neta looked as if he was compromising with a view to stopping any further comments on his father.
Rahul's tablet, ringtone of trouble and tale of two slogans
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
A recent tweet by Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM is being seen as a harbinger of a huge political change. His supporters are all gaga after the Dy CM tweeted his photo with the caption, "be ready for the changing season".
Many think the tweets hint at a possible "huge responsibility" awaiting him either in Delhi or in UP. Die-hard fans wish that he would soon become the state’s chief minister, while others foresee a role in Delhi before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The top leader has not added any further information. His photo and tweet continue in social media forcing party men to hazard a guess. However, his followers are readying for the celebrations.
Bengal camaraderie, truncated Rajasthani wedding invite list and more
