Strip Congress of its right to govern

Mumbai Congress president Janardan Chandurkar has made it to the headlines by making a statement that artists who are showing support to political leaders should be stripped of their awards and honours.

“Artists who are exhibiting support to political leaders should give up their civilian awards or else the Government should strip them of their awards,” Chandurkar said addressing a rally in south Mumbai. This was a clear reference to Lata Mangeshkar for his endorsement of Narendra Modi for Prime Minister.

Though the Congress has officially distanced itself from the statement saying it respects the freedom of expression, many say Chandurkar was simply pronouncing his party’s stand.

The Congress leader’s statement makes two clear points. One, Chandurkar’s statement suggests that Congress gives away civilian awards on the basis of party considerations. Second, the statement speaks volumes of the feudal mindset of the Congress which thinks that anyone who is bestowed with a civilian award should remain grateful to the Congress.

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Nitish Kumar’s Bihar a crucible for Islamists

A series of explosions rocked Bihar’s capital city Patna last Sunday, during BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s Hunkar Rally, killing six people and leaving 66 injured.

One bomb went off at the Patna Railway Station, four other blasts occurred in the vicinity of Gandhi Maidan, the venue for the Hunkar Rally. Another blast took place inside the rally ground, and a live bomb found under Modi’s dais.

Even as the Bihar Chief Minister maintained that there was no intelligence alert about the terror strike in Patna, it is learnt that three days before the blasts the Intelligence Bureau had sent a specific alert suggesting a possible attack on Narendra Modi’s Hunkar Rally.

In the letter dated October 23 , numbered v-111/PA/2013 (3) sent to Bihar Police, the Intelligence Bureau clearly stated that Indian Mujahideen modules could organise strikes during the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate’s rally in Patna. But Nitish Government chose not to pay heed to the intelligence inputs. Why?

There were serious lapses in security measures for Narendra Modi’s Hunkar Rally. First, the rally ground was not sanitised. Second, the anti-sabotage checking, mandatory for any public rally, was not done properly. Third, Advance Security Liaison (ASL), a common practice during the visit of a Chief Minister of another State, was not carried out properly. Why?

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