August 2009 - Posts - Have you Heard...

August 2009 - Posts

In tune with the times on Facebook

Posted by Ruhi Tewari at 
Guess which politician is an active Facebook member? Kannauj MP Akhilesh Yadav, the son of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. Journalists are flocking to add this SP gen-next as their ‘friend' and Yadav junior is obliging most of them. What is ironic about Akhilesh's presence on Facebook is the party's anti technology stand. Remember...

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Eating sugar? No comrade!

Posted by Ruhi Tewari at 
At the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPM press conference to discuss the issue of food security on Monday, journalists were served the trademark CPM tea, but with less sugar. After several journalists complained of inadequate sugar in the tea, the staff was forced to put a separate bowl with some sugar for those who wanted to add more to their...

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Rajasthani politicians make Royal exits

Posted by Santosh Joy at 
Gone are the days when politicians hailing from Rajasthan represented themselves as a non-controversial class of politicians in the national arena. One after the other, senior leaders from the state (all of royal descent) have made unceremonious exits from various positions and portfolios. First Kunwar Natwar Singh, the External Affairs of the country...

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Jaswant Singh's controversial book flying off the shelves in Shimla

Posted by Santosh Joy at 
Jaswant Singh may have been sent back from Shimla on the first day after his expulsion from the BJP. However his book is flying off the shelves in this hill city. Tourists are eager to read the contents of the book which sealed the senior politician's fate in the saffron party. The response to the book has also taken booksellers in the city by surprise...

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Narendra Modi at 'scandal point'

Posted by Santosh Joy at 
It was surprising for us to see Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi taking a stroll at the Scandal Point in Shimla on the second day of the three-day brainstorming session of his party here in the morning. Leaving behind his security paraphernalia, Modi rode in a green Scorpio car to reach Mall road without notice and spend considerable time interacting...

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Latest addition to the NREGA basket - a chaotic workshop

Posted by Ruhi Tewari at 
The much-hyped NREGA workshop organized on Thursday by the Ministry of Rural Development or MoRD, to coincide with the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, turned out to be a damp squib - not so much because of the quality of discussion or level of participation, but because of its poor organization and chaotic handling of the media...

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The BJP and the Peterhoff trial

Posted by Santosh Joy at 
The imposing Hotel Peterhoff amid the hills of Shimla town, the venue of the three-day brainstorming session of BJP has a story of its own to narrate. It was at this hotel where the trial of Nathuram Godse, the killer of Mahatma Gandhi, was held in the year 1948. Around 61 years after the main opposition party chose this venue to hold the ‘summary trial...

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Will Priya Krishna's money walk his talk?

Posted by Pavitra Jayaraman at 
At 25, Congress candidate for the Karnataka Assembly by-poll, Priya Krishna is ahead of the race even before the elections begin. With assets worth Rs. 7, 70 Crores and liabilities of Rs.734 Crores, the son of real-estate tycoon and MLA, M. Krishnappa (also known as layout Krishnappa) is the richest candidate to contest elections across the country...

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Vikramaditya is a 'she'

Posted by Liz Mathew at 
Vikramaditya, the king of Ujjain, is famed for his wisdom, valour and magnanimity, is one of the most popular legendary Indian kings. But in the modern history, the popular Vikramaditya is referred as 'she'! In an interview with the Hindu newspaper on Wednesday, August 12, 2009, the Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta says: "I...

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Debating the Union Budget

Posted by Ruhi Tewari at 
The first budget of the new Congress-led UPA government was debated on for 81.20 hours, the maximum time spent debating a budget in over 15 years. According to PRS Legislative Research, the last time a budget debate lasted for over 80 hours was in 1992 when the budget was debated for 89.90 hours. The most a budget has been debated over the last 25 years...

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From Vatican to Amarnath!

Posted by Liz Mathew at 
On 4 August, I along with a few other friends from the media visited Amarnath cave, the site that Lord Shiva chose to divulge the secret of immortality to his inquisitive consort Goddess Parvati. Almost a month before on 7 July, I was visiting St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican. Although both these pilgrim centers have nothing in common, I was surprised...

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Women MPs in the Budget session of UPA II

Posted by Ruhi Tewari at 
With the first budget session of the second term of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance or UPA government over (and the Women's Reservation Bill yet to see the light of day), it would be interesting to take a look at the level of participation of women MPs in this session. According to data compiled by PRS Legislative Research - a Delhi...

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Star Wars VII

Posted by Ruhi Tewari at 
A perfect illustration of the extent of absurdity and ludicrousness of our political discourse and of the inability of some of our leaders to raise relevant issues: GOVERNMENT OF INDIA RAJYA SABHA QUESTION NO 2978 ANSWERED ON 30.07.2009 UFO . 2978 SHRI RAJKUMAR DHOOT Will the Minister of SPACE be pleased to state :- (a) whether it is a fact that Romanian...

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