Beyond the Soundbite

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took many by surprise when he said that 1.27 crore Hindu votes had been excluded during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in the state. Was Yogi’s criticism of the SIR an endorsement of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc’s claims? The matter, however, is not that simple. For one, Yogi challenged Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav to formally demand scrapping of the SIR in UP, asserting that this will not happen as a lot fewer Muslim votes have been removed from the electoral rolls. The chief minister’s ire, it seems, is partly directed at slackness in the BJP ranks in ensuring valid votes are not deleted as Booth Level Agents needed to be more alert. Petitions have now been filed and it is pointed out that Yogi has strongly supported the SIR process as a means to weed out dead, duplicate and illegal voters.

Festival Faux Pas

For a seasoned politician, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has a habit of hitting the wrong notes. Recently, he responded to a Congress worker in Patna—hearing only part of what was being said—to declare that not only Prime Minister Narendra Modi would go but even his “baap (father)” would follow. Now his unwarranted reference to Deepavali as a “khushiyon ki Eid (Eid of happiness)” provided BJP an opportunity to target Congress for pursuing vote-bank politics. Kharge’s simile is puzzling as there is no apparent cause to mix the two festivals in the same breath.

Fadnavis Acts Quickly

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis moved swiftly to allow the state government to nominate four members to cooperatives with large turnovers after a deadlock in the prestigious Gokul dairy elections. He pointed out that following a 13-12 result in favour of Congress, the new committee tried unsuccessfully to meet twice. Another failed effort, he said, would mean the election would be scrapped. The battle moved to the high court which refused to pass any injunction apart from directing that the votes of the nominated members be kept separate.

Road to Chaos

For more than 10 years, two major roads serving Gurugram’s upscale Galleria and more down-to-earth Vyapar Kendra markets have been one-way, in a bid to regulate heavy traffic. In their wisdom, the authorities reverted them to two-way movement and installed hundreds of plastic road dividers. The predictable chaos resulted in a hasty reversal but the orange bollards remain, a testament to waste.

The Usha Setback

Indian Olympic Association President PT Usha’s failure to become a “sportsperson of merit”—one of the four women athlete spots up for grabs—all but eliminates her for a second term. This seems a reflection of Usha rubbing people off in the wrong way and her headstrong manner of functioning. Anju Bobby George got the highest votes.

Fuelling Controversy

Fresh row over claims by a Karnataka minister that “checks” have revealed petrol dispensed at pumps to contain 30 per cent of ethanol has roiled the internet. This is despite all three oil marketing companies pointing out that the samples were not tested as per statutory procedures. It is highly unlikely that they would violate norms, especially when the matter is under the scrutiny of courts.

Missing the Point

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a reference to “dimagi Naxals (Naxal mindsets)” during a Deepavali day address to CRPF jawans, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi sought to take on Modi, claiming that he had “called us” Naxals. “Your faces said it all: You didn’t buy the PM’s lies,” he told the jawans. For one, Modi was greeted with cheers of “Bharat Mata ki Jai”, which doesn’t sound like a sceptical audience. For another, Gandhi failed to recognise that Modi was addressing the jawans who have been at the forefront of anti-Maoist operations and do not need evidence about the nexus between “urban Naxals” and the Left ultras.