Off The Record: July 12

An awkward crash during protest

In an awkward and embarrassing moment, a bullock cart on which Congress workers were protesting against the fuel price hike, crashed in Mumbai. The protesters included Mumbai Regional Congress Committee president Bhai Jagtap. However, no one was hurt. A video of the incident went viral. Incidentally, the bullock cart collapsed when slogans were being raised hailing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. In fact, more people climbed onto the cart than its capacity and the accident occurred.

Mrityunjay Bose, Mumbai

Covid-19 and liquor dens in Assam

Assam government has launched a crackdown against country liquor dens across the state following reports that the huge crowd throng the place— a cause of the spread of Covid-19. On July 9, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said: “Such liquor dens are responsible for the rising number of cases in some districts. An order has been issued to dismantle such liquor den immediately.” The state government declared seven districts as containment zones where Covid-19 cases are still high, particularly in areas where there are tea gardens. Country liquor is widely consumed by tea garden workers and large crowds gather, particularly during the evening at the dens. Assam still has over 20,000 Covid-19 cases and over 2,500 cases are being reported daily.

Sumir Karmakar, Guwahati

Monsoon Session: RT-PCR test for MPs

MPs who are unable to take even a single dose of Covid-19 vaccination for various reasons will have to undergo an RT-PCR test prior to the start of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament and then undergo the test once in two weeks during the Session, according to the latest advisory. Those who have already received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine need not undergo the test prior to attending or during the Parliament Session, it says. Those who are yet to be vaccinated are being encouraged to get the jab at the earliest. However, those who have not completed three months after contracting the virus infection or for other reasons will have to undergo the RT-PCR tests.

Shemin Joy, New Delhi

Phone calls and Cabinet reshuffle

Reasons for the removal of Ravi Shankar Prasad as IT and Law Minister and Prakash Javadekar as I&B Minister remain a mystery. On the day of the Cabinet reshuffle (July 7), most of the ministers received a call from BJP national president J P Nadda asking them to resign to make way for other leaders. Apparently, both Prasad and Javadekar received a phone call from the Nadda around 3 pm on Wednesday to submit their resignation immediately as both were preparing to go to Rashtrapathi Bhavan to attend the oath-taking ceremony. The BJP insiders say both may be given party work ahead of the elections in five states next year.

Ajith Athrady, New Delhi

Congress missing out on an opportunity

The recent decision of Kitex Garments to backtrack from a Rs 3,500 crore investment proposal in Kerala alleging harassment by government agencies has triggered criticism against the ruling CPM-led LDF government for the anti-investor climate allegedly prevailing in the state. But the Opposition Congress-led UDF is not aggressive when it comes to criticising the government on the matter. This could be due to the allegations raised by senior Congress MLA P T Thomas against Kitex recently, especially with regard to polluting the water bodies near the company’s plant at Kizhakambalam on the outskirts of Kochi. Some other Congress MLAs were also reported to have raised complaints against Kitex. This may be a reason why the UDF seems to be in a dilemma that if they attack the government over the Kitex issue, it may invite criticisms of double standards.

Arjun Raghunath, Thiruvananthapuram

Priyanka relinquishing UP charge?

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) is abuzz about the possibility of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra relinquishing the charge of Uttar Pradesh, where the Congress does not expect to do well in the upcoming Assembly elections early next year. Priyanka entered active politics ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 and was tasked with rejuvenating the party in Uttar Pradesh. The then Congress president Rahul Gandhi had also said that Priyanka’s task is the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh in 2022 was tough. Under her charge, Rahul lost the Amethi Lok Sabha seat to Smriti Irani. Congress managers appear keen to shield Priyanka from being blamed for the party’s defeat in Uttar Pradesh and save the “trump card” for later.

Sagar Kulkarni, New Delhi