Off the record

Objectionable call

Arun Chandra Bhowmick, an MLA belonging to the BJP, the ruling party, drew flak after he asked supporters to attack Trinamool Congress workers in the style of the “Taliban” on August 18. “Trinamool is trying to damage the Biplab Kumar Deb-led government. I want to appeal to all of you to attack them in Taliban style as soon as they land in Agartala airport. We shall protect our government with the last drop of our blood,” Bhowmick said at a function at the state capital Agartala. As the video of his comment was shared on social media, netizens scoffed at him and Trinamool Congress leaders said Bhowmick’s “open threat” exposed how the ruling BJP has readied a “hooligan force” to tackle the political threat from Mamata Banerjee-led party ahead of the Assembly elections slated for 2023.

Sumir Karmakar, Guwahati

“All good”

The ruling party BJP seems to have, for the time being, ended an internal conflict of ambitions by taking two decisions--issuing a statement that it will contest 2022 Assembly polls under the incumbent chief minister Vijay Rupani and his deputy Nitin Patel, and transferring party’s strong Patidar community leader and state general secretary (organization) Bhikhu Dalsaniya to Bihar. Interestingly, Dalsaniya’s name had been among the frontrunners who were rumoured to replace Rupani. Rumour has it that the decision to send Dalsaniya, a full-time worker, out of state was taken after state president C R Paatil’s request, who wanted to have full control over the party organisation. To do that, it is said that Paatil was asked to let Rupani continues as the chief minister and end their animosity which was out in public.

Satish Jha, Ahmedabad

Protest during a protest

When AIADMK MLAs, led by Opposition Leader Edappadi K Palaniswami, entered the Assembly on August 18, all of them wore a black ribbon in protest against the new DMK government’s move to reinvestigate the 2017 Kodanad estate break-in case. Palaniswami’s bête noire in the party and the coordinator of the party, O Panneerselvam, was an exception. He did not pin a black ribbon on his shirt pocket, but instead kept the ribbon inside his pocket. Though he staged a walkout along with his party MLAs, OPS never wore the black ribbon, prompting others to quip, “whether he was protesting against” EPS during a protest. What better chance for OPS to express his displeasure over EPS?

E T B Sivapriyan, Chennai

Cashing in on sentiments

There has been a steady surge in ‘Facebook page’ journalism in Kashmir in recent years. People holding mics with logos claiming to be journalists have shown an utter disregard for professionalism and ethics. One such outlet has reached an audience that exceeds any mainstream newspaper in the Valley. The outlet besides blackmailing people, including girls, was busy collecting funds worth crores in the name of the poor. This ‘business model’ is cashing in on the sentiments of the people. However, the owner ran out of luck as police arrested him in an extortion case recently.

Zulfikar Majid, Srinagar

New slogan

The Congress has decided to counter BJP’s ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan with ‘Jai Shri Ganesh’ in Uttarakhand, which goes to elections early next year. Religion and national security have traditionally formed a heady cocktail for election campaigns and the Congress is not keen to be found wanting on the twin issues. The ‘Jai Shri Ganesh’ slogan, coined by former chief minister Harish Rawat, is seen as an evocation to the god worshipped at new beginnings. Incidentally, the Uttarakhand Congress chief Ganesh Godiyal is also considered to be a Rawat acolyte. The question of if the evocation to ‘Ganesh’ is an attempt to establish Rawat’s protege in state politics will be answered in the days to come.

Sagar Kulkarni, New Delhi