1.12.08

Off with his head…the resignation drama

...and so it will go on.

Resignations, in fact, make people into martyrs.

Home Minister Shivraj Patil goes. Was it due to the Mumbai terror attacks? Or because of the elections? After all, there were several bomb blasts in the recent past where he should have been made answerable.

P. Chidambaram has replaced him. We think the government is showing a sense of responsibility when all it has done is added a bit of varnish.

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Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra R.R.Patil made the statement:

“The terrorists had ammunition and planned to kill 5,000 people. But the brave police security forces crushed their designs and reduced the damage to a much lesser degree.”


He also referred to such incidents happening in big cities. Is he insensitive? Yes. So are several others. What about Rajiv Gandhi and his “when big tree falls earth will shake” statement?

I do not know where Patil got the figures of “planned” deaths from, but reports have talked about the strategy for greater damage.

Why did they not succeed? Why was all that RDX recovered and not used? Will they manage to get the information out of the lone arrested terrorist?

Why is Bal Thackeray quiet? Was Narendra Modi’s visit not to really show concern for the city but to give subtle reassurance that the Tatas will never face such a situation with their Nano in his Gujarat?

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CM Vilasrao Deshmukh is being held responsible and may resign. Fine. But there is no need to dramatise the fact that he was accompanied by his actor son Ritesh Deshmukh and film director Ram Gopal Verma on his visit to the Taj. They said it was wrong because it was an official visit. I am sure it was an official visit, given the situation.

I agree this was most blatant on Deshmukh’s part. He has even said:

"If my son is with me what is wrong in that? It was a big incident and he wanted to see it."


So Papa was only showing him the sights. They are insinuating that Verma may make a film. He got to watch much more on TV screens and seeing broken glass panes and destruction does not constitute research.

There will be many who will be inspired by these attacks and don’t be surprised to see traces of them in even some saas-bahu serials in the next few days.

But who are the ones pointing fingers? You can do so only if you are not a celebrity dropping half-baked tears for the cameras, if you are not a media person interviewing film stars for their reactions, if you are not making a tamasha of this occasion yourself.

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The Muslim Council has refused to allow the burial of the bodies of the nine terrorists in the Marine Lines Bada Qabrastan. A message has been sent to all cemeteries in the country.

They approached the authorities, giving the reason that the “impious terrorists should not be buried in any cemetery in India”.

I pity these faithfuls. They are trying so hard to look secular; they have no choice.

What is the government planning to do? Will someone from Faridkot, or Farid Kot, come forward? Or Yemen? Or UK? Or Pakistan? Or …

Will the Indian government organise a mass burial? Why don’t these Muslims just ask that these bodies be consigned to an electric crematorium since they are impious anyway?

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I know the authorities are coping with several things right now, but has anyone traced the whereabouts of this Deccan Mujahideen group, whatever it is? I mean, we manage to trace crank callers and spam too. This is important. Because they were misleading our security and intelligence agencies.

And where is the Indian Mujahideen? Just wondering....

7 comments:

  1. FV:

    This is Dusshera time redux. Let us create a few more demons and demolish them. All will be well once a few heads roll. The status quo will continue in all other aspects -- systems, processes, policies and structures.

    You know that Mr. Chidambaram went to Harvard Law school, is very telegenic and can snub the media in a suave and sophisticated manner. This is what the nation needs today. Why not make Aamir Khan as the home minister -- he also sounds very intelligent and can articulate and manage the media so well? My vote goes to him.

    Have you ever wondered who will be the Home Minister in a BJP cabinet? They used to harp about a shadow cabinet earlier but now no one talks about it. I'd love to know that among Sushma Swaraj, Yashwant Sinha or Kalyan Singh, whom will they make the Union Home Minister. You can't give everything to Jaswant Singh while Arun Shourie and Arun Jaitley [the telegenic, articulate types] are too junior for such a ministry.

    So what have we got here, Maa'am? As they say in Hindi, wohi dhaak key teen paaat.

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  2. I wonder if there would've been such a fuss if Ritesh Deshmukh wasn't an actor.

    But then, you have to admit, The Muslim Council is in a difficult position. You cannot just mock them like that.

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  3. PS:

    Isn't it sad that everyone seems to know that nothing will change and yet they demand change? And, as you rightly pointed out, within a few days it will be back to business...and we who have been berated for questioning will be the only ones left with more questions.

    I can live with that.

    Aamir Khan is one of the finest politicians. They can get Shabana Azmi too...may as well go the whole manipulating the media hog.

    In a BJP govt. I suspect Advani will keep the Home portfolio, and I believe that the Prime Minister should do so. But Jaswant Singh will not get Defence for sure now :)

    What have we got now? At least two people - you and I - ready to get into business as jyotish!

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    SM:

    I haven't mocked the Muslim Council, I just do not want Muslim organisations to get into the rut and bite the bait being thrown at them constantly.

    If they did bury those bodies, obviously some govt. emissary would have brought them there. That fellow would then be responsible.

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  4. I think the Muslim council has made a fine statement. It makes sense and confirms that everyone is indeed against the killing of innocents. I hope they are not buried on Indian soil.

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  5. My vote is as follows ;

    KPS Gill,Kiran Bedi, Air Commodore Jasjeet Singh (he is still around, I hope) Arun Shourie Montek Singh Ahluwalia (Finance), T, N Seshan and Lingdoh..., Meneka Gandhi , Aamir Khan..Omar Abdullah, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Gen V. P Malik ..the list is long ...unfortunately all of them are not politicians ....

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  6. Pranab Mukherjee should be out first

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  7. Manish:

    Am glad your list does not include politicians, but we will disagree...I wouldn't want 90 per cent in your list!

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    KB:

    The day Pranab Mukherjee, forget his portfolio, ceases to be a mere courier boy, then one would want him to resign.

    ReplyDelete

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