Caught Out on Hindi

Once upon a time, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhhagam (MDMK) chief Vaiko (V Gopalsamy) was a rising star in DMK, popular with the party cadre for his organisational skills and oratory. His fallout with DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi was dramatic, and since then he has trod an unconventional path. A strong sympathiser of the Tamil Eelam movement, his covert visit to northern Sri Lanka at the height of the civil war was much talked about. Later, he was part of an AIADMK-led alliance that supported the Vajpayee government at the Centre. After a period of relative obscurity, he patched up with DMK and is currently a Rajya Sabha MP and attracted attention for his angry interruption during Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s speech when he challenged her to set foot in Tamil Nadu. But not long after Sitharaman caught Vaiko on the wrong foot when he rose to counter a point made by BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi. Her observation that Vaiko obviously knew enough Hindi to understand what Trivedi was saying was not lost on Home Minister Amit Shah who quickly rose to say, “Look, he understands Hindi.” It was a charge Vaiko could not quite deny, though an obvious excuse could be that he was listening to the Tamil channel. Vaiko is wedded to the Tamil identity cause and this saw him oppose the three-language formula on grounds that this would allegedly amount to the imposition of Hindi. A maverick in many ways, Vaiko of yore cut a dashing figure in all whites and dark sunglasses. The problem is that his views continue to be frozen in the past.

The Better House

Was the debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill more engaging in Rajya Sabha than in Lok Sabha? The question was subject to friendly banter among MPs on the last day of the Budget Session. The mood in the NDA camp was upbeat with the Bill sailing through both Houses, with the 128 votes it got in Rajya Sabha particularly gratifying. As MPs and journalists mingled in the new Parliament building, some felt the discussion in the Upper House was a notch higher. The Lok Sabha MPs did not agree and though some of them did not say much, they pointed out that the Lower House is a different ball game altogether.

A Retro Look

BJP leader and Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur has been sporting a ‘classical’ look, reminiscent of Bollywood historicals with his locks flowing into a mane. The brushed-back look with the tilak he sports is a throwback to medieval figures. It is understood the leader decided to put off a trim until after the Budget Session of Parliament, which is now over. It remains to be seen if Thakur, who is busy contesting the Boxing Federation of India’s (BFI) presidential election, will return to his previous trimmed look or delay matters until the contest is over. Thakur, a former sports minister with decent cricketing skills, has overcome bids to debar him from contesting the election and is determined to win.

Cyber Order

Recent changes in the government’s business allocation rules have cleared overlaps in the context of India’s cyber security policy. It has been made clear that National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval will oversee national policy along with the national security council. All matters related to information technology and emergent cyber threats are to be dealt with by the Ministry Of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), those relating to telecom are the domain of the Ministry of Communications, and the Ministry of Home Affairs will deal with cybercrime. The national cybercrime reporting portal continues to be under the Home Ministry. The division of labour, it is felt, improves efficiency in dealing with diverse aspects of digital security.

Manipur Round Table

A significant step towards peace that has remained elusive in Manipur was taken when Kuki and Meitei groups sat at the same table along with representatives of the state and Union governments. Though one Meitei group stayed away, this was the first time leaders of the warring ethnic groups were in the same room. Small but important steps such as free movement on highways from one region to another were discussed and if this were to happen, it will be a significant breakthrough. The return of displaced people to their homes is next on the agenda and is expected to happen soon. To begin with, small groups of people will be moved out of camps and if that works out, more will follow.

Yogic Power Play

A power play between Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament did not go unnoticed. Responding to the SP leader’s jibe about Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s political future, Shah said the leader will be repeated (for a third term), just like the prime minister at the Centre. A few hours earlier, in response to BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad’s comment that SP needs to change its idea of ‘secular’ politics, Akhilesh had remarked: “Yogi ko wapas le lo [take Yogi back].” Shah was in the House and did not miss the comment, choosing his moment to get back at the SP chief.

Ajit DovalAkhilesh YadavAnurag ThakurIndian politicsManipurMDMKVaiko