Solve the riddle
The leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, left the House on edge on Friday with his speech on the delimitation and the women’s reservation bills, which put the treasury benches as well as Speaker Om Birla in a tight spot. Rahul Gandhi opened with a childhood anecdote on overcoming fear, recalling lessons from his grandmother and former prime minister, Indira Gandhi. The ruling side grew restless, prompting Birla to urge Rahul Gandhi to stick to the bills. But the Congress leader persisted, segueing into another story about a magic show, brushing aside repeated interruptions with, “I am coming to it… maza aayega.” When he finally pivoted to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the treasury benches erupted, accusing him of insulting the PM and the armed forces. Several of his remarks were expunged as “unparliamentary”. Despite disruptions, Rahul Gandhi concluded with a cryptic riddle linked to April 16, the day the two bills were introduced. He suggested that the government knew the bills would not pass but pushed them regardless, saying that “the answer lies in the number 16”. The House was left puzzled. Rahul Gandhi refused to decode the riddle, adding to the intrigue.
Out of action
The chief minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, had seemingly gone off the radar after the voting in the assembly polls were held on April 9. But he maintained his presence on social media, which is obviously being managed by his team. His physical absence raised eyebrows, particularly when he did not respond immediately to the alleged suicide of a first-year dental student, Nithin Raj, after facing casteist slurs from professors.
The dental college is situated in Anjarakandy in Kannur district, which is Vijayan’s assembly constituency. His social media handle reacted two days after the incident, prompting further questions regarding the leader’s tardiness. It has now emerged that Vijayan and his family were in Chennai, where he underwent cataract surgery at a
private hospital on April 14. He is expected back in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, on April 22. All eyes are now on whether Vijayan, who led the Left Democratic Front in the recent assembly polls, will be lucky enough to secure a third consecutive term or find himself in the Opposition when results are declared on May 4.
Viral debates
The episode surrounding the former Delhi CM, Arvind Kejriwal, seeking the recusal of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma from hearing the Central Bureau of Investigation’s revision plea against the discharge order in the Delhi excise policy case saw various twists and turns. Sharma appreciated Kejriwal for arguing his own case well, remarking that he would make a good lawyer. The hearing featured interesting exchanges between the judge and Kejriwal, video clips of which went viral on social media.
This prompted the Delhi High Court to direct the city police to take steps to remove unauthorised recordings of court proceedings from social media. A complaint had been filed against the recording and the dissemination of clips from the April 13 hearing. The high court, while passing the direction, also said similar steps had been taken in the past. A few days later, Kejriwal made a virtual appearance in the court to place his written submission on record. Clips of that appearance also surfaced on social media.
Back in the limelight
Dilip Ray, the hotelier who recently became a member of the Rajya Sabha with the backing of the Bharatiya Janata Party, is in the news after the PM stayed at his hotel, Mayfair Tea Resort, in Siliguri during his visit to Bengal. Modi also posed for photographs with the hotel’s employees. Modi’s stay has not gone down well with a section of state BJP leaders. Ray, whose relationship with the Union minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, is not good, tried to cash in on Modi’s visit to his hotel, signalling his proximity to Delhi.
Ray’s strained relationship with Pradhan has been an open secret. Ray’s camp believes that Pradhan was behind his marginalisation within the BJP in 2018, leading to his resignation from the party. It also alleges Pradhan’s involvement in pushing the CBI probe into a coal scam dating back to the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, when Ray served as coal minister in 1999. Ray was convicted in October 2020 by a special court. However, Ray bounced back after the Delhi High Court stayed his conviction in April 2024. State BJP leaders have reacted to Modi’s stay at Ray’s hotel with a mix of awe and unease.
