From the India Gate: Dejected souls over official files, 'Upar Wale' go missing and more

SOUL REASON

The movement of official files in Shakti Soudha seems to be jinxed. For, many projects are stagnant as the official machinery has slowed down for no apparent reason. With no terrestrial reasons giving them answers, some people decided to probe for cosmic possibilities that are causing these delays.

An astrologer near the Vidhana Soudha was approached. His interpretation of what the stars said shocked them -- "Possibility is that dejected souls are sitting on the files preventing their speedy processing."

But nobody could understand what exactly the soothsayer said. More purses opened, and more currency notes fell out to fuel his star gazing. Finally, the astrologer muttered: "Recall what JDS MLA Sa Ra Mahesh had once said to understand this enigma."

Mahesh, in his address to the 15th Karnataka Assembly's last session, had mentioned that the unsatisfied souls of politicians who failed to make their ambitions come true would never leave such temples of democracy.

"A taluk Panchayat member wants to become a Zilla panchayat member and then an MLA. Naturally, their next wish is to become a minister, if not the chief minister. But not many survive the time taken for such a progression." Unsatisfied souls of such politicians roam free in the Vidhana Soudha dragging file movement. Would there be an effort to exorcise these spirits remains to be seen?

From the India Gate: Trash to cash, Rajasthan police 'waist' strategy and more

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BITTER MEDICINE

An 11,500-page charge sheet has been presented in the biggest bribery case in the history of Rajasthan. It names a suspended RPS officer accused of demanding a bribe of Rs 2 crore to help a medical dealer in Haridwar wriggle out of a fake complaint.

Officer Divya Mittal was arrested after being caught red-handed. She told the waiting media that she had done all this for "Upar Wale" (those above).

After this, no statement of Divya Mittal ever came to the public glare. The curious question doing rounds is what happened to the two "Upar Wale" about whom Divya had mentioned as the charge sheet is mum on them.

Divya was suspended immediately after her arrest. Further, a resort in her ownership was demolished. But none dared to touch the two senior officers towards whom she had thrown enough hints. Like many other graft allegations, these "Upar Wale" too would remain behind the khaki curtain forever.

Finding 'CM' in Kerala, season change in UP and more

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CELL RULE

The world of mafia has a new mantra -- for the cell (cadres), from the cell (jail) and through the cell (phone). This graffiti on the alleys of the underworld will be written once again when perpetrators of recent killing of Raju Pal murder in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj will surrender before the police.

By now, it has become evident that no strong police action would happen in this case, though the chief minister himself had committed exemplary exercise to "hunt" the two sons of a don behind the killing.

After Pal's murder, two accused have been 'èncountered'. But the junior bosses will soon surrender and be housed in some jail from where they will continue their operations. Perhaps it runs through genes, as their father was also notorious for pulling strings of his empire even when he was jailed.

Dream merchants, stolen phones and more

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STINKING RICH

If you tuned in to this space last week, we spoke about the dirty trail of nepotism and corruption that resulted in a 'smoking' Kochi, Kerala’s commercial capital. More tales of massive fraud behind the Brahmapuram garbage dump are emerging with the toxic smoke slowly clearing. Those who dipped their hands in trash cans for a fast buck include bureaucrats and politicians.

The interesting question is about the role -- rather dubious presence -- of Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) even as Zonta, the company contracted for running Brahmapuram, continued to be battered.

It was KSIDC, the nodal agency, which gave the contract to Zonta, though the Corporation of Cochin is making all payments, including a multi-crore amount in advance, to the company. It is now emerging that another project to generate energy from waste was given to Zonta Infratech by the KSIDC. 

The KSIDC leased 20 acres of land in Brahmapuram and handed it over to Zonta with full legal rights to mortgage it for further fund-raising. Kerala is awaiting more stink from all these deals as the investigation ordered by the state government progresses.

Millet Power in Parliament, bureau'crazy' and more

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THIRD FRONT MAMATA 

Efforts for cobbling together a third front with discarded political fabric are seen in the country on the eve of any election season. Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav's recent meeting with Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee has once again fuelled this speculation. But the TMC is yet to acknowledge that the Third Front possibility was discussed at the meeting as the party wants to maintain its equidistance policy between Congress and BJP.

Political galleries are eagerly watching whether TMC and SP will join hands once again as they did during the 2021 and 2022 elections. All eyes are on Mamata’s visit to Odisha on March 23 and her proposed meeting with Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal chief Naveen Patnaik. A few more stitches to create a third pattern may be sewn up at this meeting.

Kannada in Delhi Durbar, Ooty tour plan leak and more

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VOTER AVATARS 

There are four groups of BJP voters in Karnataka -- those who vote purely for Hindutva, those who vote for the candidate and her/his work, those who drop 'caste' votes and yet another group who votes for Narendra Modi's image.

Of course, there are fissures within these tectonic plates too. For example, Modi fans were unhappy at the party’s hesitance to take disciplinary action against MLA Madalu Virupakshappa, who was accused in a bribery case fearing backlash from Sadar Lingayats.

Following Praveen Nettaru’s killing in Mangaluru, activists and Hindutva voters further cemented with the BJP. They are more part of other Sangh organisations than the political machinery. But BJP also realises that their best bet is the increasing number of new-generation voters who see a future in Modi’s leadership. Their self-esteem has been reclaimed. India's place on the global map has become more pronounced. The challenge for the state leadership is to clone such administrative skills so that this group of voters will not decide to vote in the Lok Sabha elections only.

 But the new voters who see Modi's image and vote for BJP come to the polling booth every five years without expecting anything. If these voters sit at home on the voting day saying, "Let's See During Lok Sabha Elections", it's tough for the state BJP this time.

'Pilot'less drift, BJP leader's wrong 'park'ing and more