By Sidharth Mishra

If there at all was any doubt about the timing of the raking up controversy around Pakistan founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah’s portrait at the students’ union office of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), it has been set to rest by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The saffron clad leader, who is BharatiyaJanata Party’s most sought after campaigner in Karnataka after Prime Minister NarendraModi said at a poll rally in the state that “the glorification of Jinnah was unfortunate. My government would act strictly against all those who were behind the trouble (on Wednesday).”

The world was taken aback when all of a sudden BJP’s Member of Parliament from Aligarh,SatishGautam, demanded the removal of Jinnah’s portrait which has been hanging in Aligarh campus, albeit innocuously, for the past 80 years.Gautam timed his demand in a manner that it raised the “requisite sentiments” ahead of the Karnataka polls. The Hindi axiom of “KahinPeNigahein, KahiPeNishana (Eyeing one thing while targeting something else)” perfectly explains Gautam’s game plan.

By Sidharth Mishra

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has finally spoken against the rape regime perpetuated by his political followers to establish the hegemony of the party which seeks to ensure that the country is free of all other political influences. When Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah gave call of a “Congress-Mukht Bharat”, none thought of its dangerous repercussions.

By Sidharth Mishra

By Sidharth Mishra

In the Bombay edition of Times of India dated 28 June 1975 was published a small obituary insertion, 22-words to be precise, in the classified columns. It said, “O'Cracy, D.E.M., beloved husband of T. Ruth, loving father of L.I. Bertie, brother of Faith, Hope and Justicia, expired on June 26.”

This was two days after Emergency had been imposed in the country and press censorship introduced. The government clerk sitting in the Times of India office and clearing the news reports and paid insertions saw nothing anti-government in the obituary insertion, when it was placed on the evening of 27 June 1975.

The next day, the advertiser, a young reporter with Reader’s Digest, called up a Times journalist to tell him about the obituary and explain how it “looked like a protest against press censorship.” Suddenly the Press fraternity of Bombay realized that everybody among them was not as pusillanimous as their editors were.

By Sidharth Mishra

Earlier this week, what was always feared by the Delhi government officials, actually took place. Delhi's Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash was, if not assaulted, at least roughed up at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence. The incident is alleged to have taken place in the presence of the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. Some allege that the two MLAs roughed up the Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash after the CM and his deputy let loose a fusillade of invectives against the senior official.

After the matter became public, the AAP leadership issued a counter saying that Prakash had used casteist pejorative phrases for the MLAs. For those who know Prakash, it's very unlikely that he could use such language he is alleged to have.

By Sidharth Mishra

Prime Minister NarendraModi in his address in Parliament on the motion of thanks to the President's address last week was at his visceral best. He made most of the opportunity which came his way to lash out at the Congress party. This is not the first time that Modi has chosen to hit out at the Congress but there was certain amount difference in the genre of attack.

Modi on the earlier occasions took on the the nation's oldest political party as the spearhead of the Opposition. This time around he was attacking the Congress, which in the role of the Opposition now was out making mincemeat of claims of development of the NDA-II government.Congress plan for past six-months beginning with the run-up to the Gujarat assembly elections has been plain and simple. They have chosen the grammar and style-sheet of the BharatiyaJanata Party itself, which has been proving to be disconcerting for both the Prime Minister and also BJP president Amit Shah.

By Sidharth Mishra

New Delhi: In another 10 days’ time, the Delhi Development Authority would submit before the Supreme Court the amendments it proposes to bring in Master Plan 2021 to give ‘relief’ to the shopkeepers who are running their businesses in violation of building rules and regulations.

According to the definition given by the Delhi Development Authority itself, “A Master Plan is the long term perspective plan for guiding the sustainable planned development of the city. This document lays down the planning guidelines, policies, development code and space requirements for various socio-economic activities supporting the city population during the plan period. It is also the basis for all infrastructure requirements.” Contrary to the definition given above Master Plan of Delhi (MPD) 2021 has hardly had the opportunity to provide the city with “the long term perspective plan for guiding the sustainable planned development of the city.” Such are the interests of people that MPD 2021 has ended up being the most mauled planning document.

By Sidharth Mishra

With the likelihood of Dalits and minorities backing the Congress, as witnessed in Gujarat, the AAP would use all possible means to stall polls.From Monday, the Delhi High Court would start hearing the plea moved by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) against presidential consent to dismiss 20 members of the Delhi Legislative Assembly. 

The stand taken by the dismissed MLAs, all belonging to the Aam Aadmi Party and dismissed on the charge of holding Office of Profit, is that since no profit ever accrued to them from the office they were purported to have held, they should not be penalised. The counter view is that the intent was to make profit and therefore a bill was brought in the Assembly to include the office of Parliamentary Secretary to the ministers in the list of exempted positions. Since the bill sought to include these offices from retrospective effect and had other lacunae, it failed and thus the present fallout. Legalities aside, the larger question is, why the AAP leadership, which in the run-up to the Assembly polls in 2013 and 2015 had trumpeted the policy of going to people’s court for taking all major decisions, is fearing facing the public now.