Counting On Stalin
Will the EPS government survive the budget session of the TN Assembly? If the high court upholds the Speaker’s act of disqualifying 18 pro-TTV MLAs, EPS and OPS would enjoy a comfortable majority in a shrunken house; else, EPS would find his boat rocked by more rebels from his ranks. TTV would want to force a mid-term poll, but DMK leader Stalin is not confident yet—not since the RK Nagar debacle and Rajinikanth’s arrival on the scene. And unless the DMK cooperates, a no-confidence motion against the government is bound to fail. So EPS is counting on Stalin’s wavering mind to save his government.
Dry House
As a beer-glugging tribe, many journos are wondering about the “dry” Press Club they finally got in Srinagar when CM Mehbooba Mufti handed over keys of a colonial-era building to a representative body of journalists. For the past two decades, reporters in the Valley had been seeking a space for a Press Club Kashmir, but the government and bureaucrats never showed any interest, fearing it would become another power centre. Even some journalists did not like the idea. In 2015, then CM Mufti Mohammed Sayeed held a meeting with journalists in which they reiterated the demand. To provoke them, Sayeed asked who among them drank. They murmured something, with none owning up to drinking. So welcome to bar-less Press Club of Srinagar!
Advisors Galore
Since Ashwani Lohani took over as Chairman, Railway Board last August, he has been bombarded with advice from mainly retired railway officials, on how to run trains better. As he had been busy getting Air India on course, perhaps they thought he was out of touch. Lohani tried to ward them off—politely, say sources, though the persistent ones refused to take a hint. Finally, Lohani posted this on Facebook: “I am amazed at the number of ex-seniors who are bubbling with ideas on how to set the railways right. Equally amazing is why they did not implement the very same ideas when they sat on powerful chairs.” Ouch!
Overheard Some BJP leaders are secretly rejoicing over PILs filed by Tehseen Poonawalla and Bombay Lawyers’ Association for a Supreme Court-monitored probe into Justice B.H. Loya’s death.
