Election Commission – once again

Just when some political parties had begun to suspect that the Election Commission was inclined to do the bidding of the Congress it has struck Congress hard in Himachal Pradesh. It announced the election schedule for Assembly election without giving an inkling of its plan. Even as the Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh was planning a series of please all decisions the code of conduct was enforced, leaving the Congress high and dry. It only proves that any move to hold back on populists or welfare schemes can sometimes backfire. Rubbing salt to the Congress wounds the Election Commission asked the State machinery to recover the cost of using State plane by the Chief Minister from the Congress party when he, his colleagues and State in-charge R.K.Dhawan used it for visiting the national capital to plead changing the election schedule. 

The sting dilemma

One would have thought that the sting operation about the Gujarat riots would provide ammunition to the Congress party in the State assembly election. Not so the Congress for it rightly suspected that it would once again provide a tool in the hands of Narendra Modi to play his Hindutava card. As it is everyone knows how former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee could only lecture vaguely about the Raj Dharama post riots and not force Modi to quit as he knew that he had divided and mobilized communal forces in a manner that it was impossible to make him budge without annoying the vast majority of the Guaratis. Understandably, the Congress is reluctant to take advantage of the evidence of complicity of Modi’s men in the riots for fear of a Hindu back lash. Strange times we live in! 

Pakistani autumn

In the colder regions of the sub-continent it is that time of the year when trees are shedding leaves to lie dormant during the winter months. In tune with the season the politics of Pakistan too seems to be shedding its leaves. With Pervez Musharraf adamant on sticking to power and the forces of change equally adamant not to let him remain, at least in uniform, the autumn has struck Pakistan with all its venom. A greater cause for worry is that in the turmoil that is taking place no one is sure who is a friend and who the enemy. Suicide bombers randomly target military installations and personnel and pro-Taliban forces routinely capture Pakistani soldiers – subjecting them to humiliation and ridicule. The situation is so bad that the thought of a spring appears to be a far cry. 

Cricket telecast

The cricket telecast by the NEO sports leaves the viewers cold and frustrated. Earlier the DD used to be the object of the viewers ire for cruelly continuing the advertisement when the ball had been bowled. It was then believed that the sifarshi staff of the DD was responsible for this and that professionally managed telecasters would provide relief to the viewers. This has been a vain belief and NEO has surpassed DD in cruelty to the cricket lovers. Irrespective of the game situation, the ads go on and most galling is the fact its telecast is often delayed, especially the post match presentation ceremony. To rub salt in the wounds of the viewer much of the time the screen is covered partially with ad even as the over is being bowled!