A New Face In Bhubaneswar
The induction of Sujata Rout, former IAS officer and wife of BJD leader Naveen Patnaik’s close aide VK Pandian, into the party in June was never incidental. Rout is functioning as in-charge of the BJD office in Bhubaneswar and is very much part of the inner circle. Pandian, also a former IAS officer, is understood to be busy with engagements abroad. Ahead of the 2024 state polls, which in Odisha’s case coincided with Lok Sabha elections, the rise of Pandian in a formal political role did not go down well with voters. BJP further fanned apprehensions of Odisha administered by an “outsider”. Pandian’s proximity to Patnaik helped make such a scenario appear credible. Since Rout is an Odia, this charge does not stick to her. In Delhi, BJD has no Lok Sabha MP, but Sasmit Patra, party leader in Rajya Sabha, has done a good job of projecting BJD’s interests.
Fair Play
India’s decent showing at the Commonwealth Games concluded in Glasgow with the contingent finishing fourth in the medal tally. The creditable performance is at least partly put down to Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya’s insistence on transparent selections with trials being video recorded in the presence of outside invigilators.
Name Trail
Congress MP Viriato Fernandes is concerned that new provisions allowing a person to change her name in Goa will encourage fraud. The regulation, he says, does away with the preservation of the previous identity. This, according to Fernandes, will encourage people seeking Goan names “suitable” for emigrating to Portugal.
Birthday Party
Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy is a veteran of the West Bengal Assembly and Parliament. Last week he turned 79, the occasion more memorable as he has recovered from a long illness. NCP (Sharad Pawar) leader Supriya Sule organised a celebration and Roy did the honours by cutting two cakes in the dining area for members in the new Parliament. Roy has remained with former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee along with others like Mahua Moitra and Abhishek Banerjee.
Taj Tales
A new series on Amazon Prime, The Taj Story, starring Paresh Rawal as a guide who raises a controversy about the construction of the monument lists BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi in the credits. The MP’s ideas about the origins of the Taj seem to have influenced the show as he has often claimed that “abnoos (mahogany)” used in the foundations is alien to the construction methods of the Mughals that were drawn on their omelands in Central Asia.
Stellar Infra
A data graphic by The Indian Matrix detailing development of India’s infrastructure is doing the rounds of the internet. It shows a majority of projects came up after 2014. Since the data has been shared by several eminent economists, including members of the prime minister’s economic advisory council, the posts have stirred a predictable debate. But while the precise percentages can be disputed, even critics can’t deny that the pace of the physical expansion in infrastructure has risen sharply and the effect— despite damage to highways during monsoons—is visible and can be quantified.
Seeking Evidence
Arunachal East MP Tapir Gao, along with the better known Kiren Rijiju, has won successive Lok Sabha contests since 2014. Prior to that he was a member of the 14th Lok Sabha but lost in 2009. Gao has from time to time claimed to have detected Chinese intrusions along the border but the problem is that it is not easy to pinpoint the locations. He has photographs of bridges and pathways, but without context and proof they are indistinguishable from just about any wooded area.