Brij Bhushan’s Fall

A fall in wrestling is a decisive result, leaving no ambiguity as might be the case with a points decision. In the end, despite his associate winning the president’s post in the Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) elections, BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh paid the price for overplaying his hand. If the strongman from Gonda felt he was indispensable in his political backyard, he was mistaken. The sports ministry (and BJP bosses) took a dim view of Singh being felicitated as if he had won the WFI polls himself and the decision of new president Sanjay Singh to hold the Under-15 and Under-20 national championships in Gonda without consulting the WFI secretary and others. According to norms, a 15-day notice should have been given for such a decision but this was not done. The clumsy act of sycophancy lent credence to the charge of wrestlers who have accused Singh of sexual harassment that he is still calling the shots. BJP insiders point out that the MP did not anticipate the sports ministry’s action of suspending the new body and setting up an ad hoc committee. Sanjay Singh has sought to strike a defiant note by announcing a senior national championship schedule which the sports ministry has said is not valid. He is understood to be considering legal recourse. The ministry, meanwhile, is focused on holding the nationals within a month so that selections for the Paris Olympics in July—and India’s medal hopes—are not jeopardised. Brij Bhushan’s attempts to meet the BJP brass have failed to bear fruit. The MP, not known for subtlety, did not realise that while BJP had no interest in allowing the reins of WFI slipping into the hands of Congress leaders, it did not mean it would put up with him indefinitely. The ad hoc committee has also taken note of the protests of some 500-odd young wrestlers who have accused the anti-Brij Bhushan camp of harming their interests. Recognising that wrestling is an age and weight-based sport where delays can end careers, the ad hoc committee is busy organising a schedule of competitions.

What Maldives Must Do

Some weeks ago, this column noted the dangers of new Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s short-sighted anti-India tilt that was endangering an important bilateral relationship. The Maldivian leader’s election campaign was described as “India out” and the term is riddled with incongruities given the archipelago’s dependence on India for supplies of food, such as cereals and vegetables as well as medicines. India is a crucial defence partner and, way back in 1988, Indian commandos prevented an attempted coup led by a group of discontented Maldivians with the assistance of a Sri Lankan Tamil separatist armed outfit called the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE). Even now, India’s military firepower is a deterrent for piracy, smuggling, and terrorism. Muizzu’s anti-India stance encouraged three ministers, since suspended, to offer insulting observations on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Lakshadweep islands. Matters have got out of hand with Muizzu’s political rivals accusing him of damaging a crucial relationship while thousands of Indian travellers have cancelled vacations on the islands. It is clear that mere ‘suspension’ of the errant ministers—who were obviously encouraged by Muizzu’s pro-China leanings—will not do and the Maldivian envoy was given the briefest of hearings at the Ministry of External Affairs on January 8. As it is, Muizzu has fallen out with his ally, former President Abdulla Yameen. Yameen is also pro-China but he has no reason to do any favour to Muizzu at this point. A parliamentary election is due this year and Muizzu needs a majority to push his policies, and he will need to consider his actions carefully after his muddled start.

Forest Friends

Social media platform X has given an opportunity to a relatively lesser-known all-India service—the Indian Forest Service—to generate an interest in wildlife and conservation through the handles of individual officers who are attracting a large number of followers. The officers are writing and posting images of the stunning beauty of India’s wildlife reserves and providing insights into the challenges of conservation. A post on an accident at Rajaji National Park, wherein three personnel lost their lives and a fourth was swept away in the Chilla canal, was widely circulated, highlighting the hazards of fieldwork in difficult terrains. An officer posted in Tamil Nadu put out information of a dried lake that was resuscitated and is now again the setting for an avian host. Another posted very rare footage of an entire melanistic tiger family from a reserve in Odisha. Meanwhile, a video of a rescued elephant calf reunited with its mother, posted by another Tamil Nadu officer though not from the forest service, captured headlines everywhere. The heartwarming video was shot by Films Division and Doordarshan camerapersons Ramasubramaniam and Bhargava Teja.

Himanta Vs Congress

As the Lok Sabha election approaches, fake videos, ordinary as well as deep ones, are bound to proliferate. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma called out a highly edited version of his comments on the Sanatana Dharma controversy being circulated on social media alongside his full statement. The edited bits sought to present him as seeking the ‘erasure’ of certain religions. Sarma had posed a question to Congress whether the party’s view that the comments of DMK leaders deriding Sanatana Dharma were freedom of speech would also apply if directed at other religions. The circulation of the fake video provided Sarma another opportunity to take a dig at his former party. In the recently held Mizoram polls, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had targeted Sarma for being part of the Sangh Parivar plot to “homogenise” the Northeast. Going by the results, with Congress winning all of one seat, it does seem Sarma is having the last laugh.

Modi in Abu Dhabi

 

A public reception for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Abu Dhabi on February 13, ahead of the opening of a grand Hindu temple in the UAE, will be attended by no fewer than 40,000 people. The audience will be drawn from all sections of the Indian community and the event is being billed as “Ahlan Modi (Hello Modi)”. It is seen as more evidence of the progress in India-UAE ties over the past decade. The event will be held at the Sheikh Zayed Sports Stadium, expected to be filled to capacity. Modi visited UAE in 2015 and struck a cordial relationship with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan who agreed to the construction of a traditional Hindu temple which is being built by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha.

Brij Bhushan Sharan SinghHimanta Biswa SarmaMaldivesMohamed Muizzunational politcs