From the India Gate: Sound check for CM, grasshopper on Kerala lottery and more

NONSENSE AMPLIFIED
Bizarre! This best explains a case registered by Kerala police against the operator of the sound system and taking into custody his public announcement equipment. His crime? There was a howling sound for 10 seconds while chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan was speaking at a condolence meeting in memory of late CM Oommen Chandy.

Unlike in the previous instances where he lost his cool over microphone malfunctioning, Pinarayi completed his talk and left the auditorium.

But the owner of the firm which provided the sound system was in for a shock when he got a call from police and a subsequent raid to confiscate all equipment that "embarrassed" the CM.

With the whole episode bringing shame and ridicule to the CM and his office, the police quietly wriggled out and cancelled the case against the operator.

But the damage was already done. A phobia anticipating malfunctioning of the sound system has already gripped the police. On Thursday evening a posse of police and technicians were seen testing a public announcement system hours ahead of an event where the CM was expected to speak.

Comment made by opposition Leader V D Satheesan best sums up the incident: "First accused is the microphone and second accused its amplifier." Indeed, the incident did amplify the heights of nonsense when police personnel race against each other to please the boss. 

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ATHEISTS' HOP

The Communist ideology has always taken a stand against superstitions. But for some reason, Left intellectuals’ comments grow louder when it comes to the case of Hindu Gods and practices. CPM leader and Speaker A N Shamseer’s remarks against Lord Ganesha are cited as the most recent instance. The BJP is already up in arms against Shamseer. CPM leaders are vociferously defending him. The war of words has reached levels of threatening each other with dire consequences.

But eyebrows were raised when the CPM-led Left government selected grasshopper as the mascot of the state lottery. The government is dependent heavily on income from lottery taxes to run its business; another source is the sale of liquor.

It is indeed strange to see a Communist government depending on the grasshopper to keep itself afloat. Maybe the decision stems from the fact that the grasshopper myth has a Chinese origin and Kerala CPM swears by China at the drop of a hat. 

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DIARY KEEPERS

If this new book narrates the stories of World War II victims, Rajasthan’s 'Lal Diary' is all about a former Rajasthan minister’s plight. This leader has landed in soup after the recent 'Lal Diary' episode, which is hounding every Congress leader in the state. After he raised this ghost diary issue, this leader, who was once the Man Friday of Sachin Pilot, is in no man’s land.

Sources said even Pilot is not entertaining his phone calls after he literally caused a riot in the Vidhan Sabha with his 'fear of Lal Diary' jibe.

This leader had least expected to be let down by Pilot for whom he invited the ire of Gehlot on himself. Once he openly challenged Congress leaders to take action against Pilot if  "you have drunk mother’s milk".

But after the Lal Diary incident, no gesture of gratitude is reaching towards this former minister.

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ON THE OTHER 'HAND' 

Five fingers are not the same. And it has never been in the Congress’s hands. The huge majority with which Karnataka elected the party seems to have intoxicated its leadership with groupism and power struggle has returned to the surface.

The first trigger has been the frustration of B K Hariprasad, a senior leader who has been loyal to the Gandhi family since 1975. Despite this, he was denied a berth in the government. 

During a meeting with leaders of the Ediga community, Hariprasad donned the hat of a kingmaker. He claimed that he can enthrone and dethrone any chief minister. This became a controversy in the state Congress with many braying for Hariprasad’s blood.

Hariprasad also prodded other senior Congress leaders to complain about ministers reflecting their poor performance. This forced CM Siddaramaiah to call an emergency cabinet meeting to appraise the situation.

With Hariprasad opening more battle fronts, the image of the new government has been dented. Though some wanted action, his apparent proximity to the G-family is a deterrent. Hariprasad is also challenging the party to take action, hinting that more reels will be unveiled in the coming days.

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SHAH-TIME

More than two months after the new government took over in Karnataka, the Opposition is still without a leader.

Troubleshooter Amit Shah had a discussion with BL Santosh, Prahlad Joshi, Shobha Karandlaje, G M Siddeshwara and Ramesh Jigajinagi to hammer out a solution. The Home Minister has been keeping quiet all this while

While the natural pick seemed to be former CM Basavaraj Bommai, the karyakartas were in favour of Basanagouda Patil Yatnal. But the ground reality remains that one will remain unhappy if the other is anointed. The ball is now in Amit Shah’s court.

Amit Shah also informally took an opinion of the JDS and the pros and cons of the alliance. The wait now is to know whether the name of the state president and opposition leader would be announced simultaneously.

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POWER STRUGGLE

But this is a different story. With his eyes set on the upcoming assembly elections, police in Rajasthan have been given a 'shocking' diktat from the top-most levels of the government.

Police have been 'advised' not to act against people who pilfer electricity using cables and connectors provided for free. Interestingly, most cases of power thefts have taken place in constituencies of Congress MLAs. The condition in rural areas is the worst.

Except for a couple of cases, the electricity department has not taken any major action. Now BJP is all set to give an electrifying reply.

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