After Gujarat’s Speaker Ganpat Vasava and MoS Health Shankar Chaudhary and two other MLAs tested positive for swine flu, fear of the H1N1 virus seems to have gripped not just the house but the entire State. Inside the Assembly, Opposition members wore masks and refrained from handshakes; namaste was the preferred greeting. Journalists covering proceedings were given a dose of ayurvedic ‘ kada ’ before entering the premises. The fear spilled over into Ahmedabad city which sounded a medical emergency, issued prohibitory orders, and advised people to wear masks when going to malls or multiplexes. The dreaded disease has claimed over 220 lives in the State since January 1.

Shastri Bhavan on lockdown

Accessing Shastri Bhavan in New Delhi following the corporate espionage scam looks set to become a tough task for non-accredited journalists. The building, which houses several key ministries including petroleum and natural gas, is locking down and this has started affecting press information officers and journalists. The Centre may soon pass orders asking press information officers not to issue more than three or four passes a day. Will journalists now start lining up at the reception to get entry on a first-come first-served basis?

Love in the time of Goyal

The country would expect that the VHP’s stand against Valentine’s Day would be endorsed by the BJP. But earlier this week, Minister for Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal busted that myth. At a roundtable, the smooth-talking Goyal, replying to a question said, “The BJP has nothing against Valentine’s Day. In fact even I celebrated Valentine’s Day with gusto!” In the process, he not only managed to get the room laughing, but also won young admirers.

Green and greener

Among those keeping a close watch on plans to modernise the country’s defence sector is UK-based engineering and product innovation firm Ricardo plc. One area in which the company has extensive experience is the development of specialised vehicles, such as mine-resistant ones, for the army. Simply painting a vehicle green is not enough, its MD-Technical UK, Martin Fausset, observed wryly at an event. Yes, we would think so.

What’s in a word?

The Centre is averse to words such as “dilution” in relation to amendments for laws and regulations. Grilled by Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar, on amendments in rules for coastal regulation, which now allow constructions that were earlier prohibited, he disagreed that they were diluted or watered down. He felt “strengthening” was more appropriate. Hmmm….

Trinamool’s angels

The Trinamool Congress’ Derek O’Brien does not mince words. On the controversial ‘ordinance’-related issue, he joined the Congress chorus and slammed the ruling BJP on how it was bypassing Parliament through the ordinance route. Compared to you (BJP), they (Congress) look like angels to us, he quipped in Parliament.

Beyond borders

During a live Facebook Q&A that the foreign office spokesperson had earlier this week, a person requested the quick granting of a medical visa for “a son and a donor” to come to India and help save his father’s life. The father was said to be suffering from liver disease and needed an urgent transplant. The person asking the question only gave his passport number and not the country he was from — which turned out to be Pakistan. No sooner than the full details were available, the spokesperson informed the applicant that his visa had already been issued the previous day and that he could go ahead and collect it.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW