OFF THE RECORD: Confidence or overconfidence?

Confidence or overconfidence?

The urban local bodies in Tamil Nadu will go to the polls in a single phase on February 19. While leaders of opposition parties like AIADMK and BJP are sweating it out by touring across the state, Chief Minister and DMK President M K Stalin is taking it easy. Stalin, in fact, is the only politician to have stayed off from the physical campaigning, by taking the video conferencing route. The CM is addressing people and his party cadres from a studio in Chennai via video conferencing and has no plans to visit any city for the campaign. “Why waste time on travel?” asks DMK implying that a victory is anyways on the cards given Stalin’s “performance” since he took over as CM last year. Is it just confidence or could it be overconfidence?

ETB Sivapriyan, Chennai

Triple delights in Assam zoo

Assam State Zoo in Guwahati recently celebrated three success stories of captive breeding of golden langur, Royal Bengal tiger and blackbuck. A golden langur, an endangered primate species gave birth to a male baby while Kazi and Kazi, a Royal Bengal tigress became mothers of two healthy cubs in the zoo. The blackbuck couple also became parents inside the zoo. Blackbucks are found in the jungles of India and Nepal only. The captive breeding of the wildlife happened under the care of veterinarians and wildlife experts.

Sumir Karmakar, Guwahati

When KCR batted for Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is facing the BJP onslaught, has found support from unlikely quarters. Speaking at a public rally in Nalgonda on Saturday, Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said he was pained by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s comments on Rahul. Reacting to the Congress scion demanding proof of surgical etc strikes on Pakistan, Sarma had questioned if the BJP had ever sought the “proof of him being the son of former PM Rajiv Gandhi.” “PM Modi-ji, is this the BJP’s culture, does this reflect our Hindu ethics, is this our civilisation? A chief minister of your party is posing such a hideous question to one MP. I was ashamed and teary-eyed when I heard this. I am also asking the BJP chief JP Nadda if this is our tradition?” KCR thundered while demanding the sacking of Sarma. The saffron activists are astounded by this strong sympathy, solidarity for Rahul, whom the TRS chief had in 2018 called “the biggest buffoon in the country.”

Prasad Nichenametla, Hyderabad

Kerala CM’s UAE stopover

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who recently went for medical treatment in the US had made an over one-week stopover in UAE that was announced at the last minute only. Some official functions like meetings with UAE administrators and investors to woo investments to Kerala were the stated purpose. But the rumour mills gave a twist that Vijayan’s long stopover in UAE was to have secret meetings with some former officials of the UAE consulate in Kerala to whom the Customs authorities recently sent notices in connection with the Kerala gold smuggling case. Incidentally, the gold smuggling row has once again become a hot discussion topic in Kerala with CM’s former secretary M Sivsankar’s autobiography.

Arjun Raghunath, Thuruvananthapuram

Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai...

The iconic song - “Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai” - from the 1965 Dev Anand-starrer Guide found a mention in RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das’s speech during the unveiling of the Monetary Policy. The RBI chief quoted Lata Mangeshkar song to express his sense of optimism. “As the great Lata Mangeshkar – whom we lost recently – sang in her immortal voice: “Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai”. Together with the spirit behind the next line of this beautiful song, she has conveyed an eternal message of optimism,” RBI Governor said.

Mrityunjay Bose, Mumbai