Blaming the previous government for inconvenient developments is a well-calculated strategy. But the BJP member from Delhi, Ramesh Bidhuri, took this to a new height recently when he blamed the previous UPA regime for the especially difficult and long CBSE Class XII Math paper.

The paper had created quite a flutter nationwide for being ‘very tough and ‘long’, and an agitated MP from Kerala, NK Premachandran (RSP), wanted its immediate cancellation. This got Bidhuri quite vocal, and he even suggested this was because UPA’s HRD Minister had buckled under American pressure! Trotting out the ‘foreign hand’, which is often roped into the equation in the House, for the Math paper is certainly going off on a tangent.

No pay-dirt, here

Journalists are known to take a shot in the dark hoping to get some newsy response. At a recent press conference, a reporter tried just this, when he asked J Mehra, Director, Essar Steel, by when the company hopes to sell its iron ore mine in Minnesota, US.

With the company not announcing any such plans, a puzzled, but quick-thinking Mehra retorted, “We will sell it if you are willing to buy”. Given the state of the steel sector worldwide, it’s unlikely that a journalist, even one with deep pockets, would bid for an iron ore mine. That shot certainly didn’t hit pay-dirt.

Hard-headed solution

When youngsters are losing their heads to zippy bikes, what do the police and hapless parents do? Try to stop the two-wheelers in their track by cutting off the fuel line. Petrol pumps in Kannapuram police station limits in Kerala’s Kannur district have this sign prominently: “No petrol for two-wheeler owners who ride in without wearing the helmet”.

With motorcycling the rage among the youth in Kerala, power bikes are in the fast-lane. Helmet-wearing is mandatory in the State, but most youngsters in the hinterland consider the headgear ‘unmanly’. The result: rising toll on village roads.

Wobbly career paths

The careers of many pilots have been facing severe turbulence after Kingfisher fell out of the sky. While a fortunate few Kingfisher pilots landed good positions in other domestic airlines, others had to wait a while and are only now being placed. Yet, it has not been happy flying for the second set as salaries have been coming in fits and starts. For instance, one airline is yet to take off but has hired a dozen pilots and they have not been paid for months. What of the commitment of these airlines to maintenance of planes and safety of passengers? Are there many more Kingfishers out there?

Banking on real value

E-commerce giants may not be making money but they are big on Gross Merchandise Value, which is the total value of merchandise sold through a marketplace over a certain time-frame. And so steeped is this idea among journalists that during a recent interaction, one reporter wanted to know from a private bank official what the GMV of his bank was. Initially stumped, the official recovered to deliver this: “We are a bank and we make money”.

Non-resident high-flyers, all

The foreign ownership issue in aviation is quite piquant, feels Tony Fernandes, Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia Group. Speaking on the sidelines of India Aviation 2016, he said, “Naresh Goyal of Jet Airways lives in London, and is an NRI, SpiceJet used to be owned by an American, IndiGo has more foreign holding than Indian, and I understand the top honcho of GoAir lives in Turkey, on a boat. So, they are all NRIs. Significantly, they are creating jobs and bringing in investments into India. That is what matters…”

Then, he said: “I located the passport of my father and am in the process of applying for Overseas Citizen of India card… Once I have the OCI card, I will be the same as Naresh Goyal and everyone else.”

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