Yechury jokingly said he was feeling upset because Mahathir has beaten veteran Marxist and former Kerala chief minister V S Achuthanandan’s record.
Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad’s stunning election comeback at the age of 92 has dominated international headlines. But whose record did he break when he became the world’s oldest elected leader? CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has the answer. At a function in Delhi, Yechury jokingly said he was feeling upset because Mahathir has beaten veteran Marxist and former Kerala chief minister V S Achuthanandan’s record, when he was elected an MLA in May 2016. Now 94, and nearly two years older than Mahathir, Achuthanandan ‘lost out’ to the Malaysian leader in the age race by about 100 days.
Pitch It Right
Hearing in the Rohingya matter in the Supreme Court had a humourous moment on Friday when Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra remarked, “Mr Ashwani Kumar says he does not have a loud mouth.” The former Law Minister was quick to react, “Please correct… I said loud voice, not loud mouth.” With the counsel on the government side as well the petitioner’s side raising their pitch during arguments, Kumar had earlier told the bench that he could not be loud like them.
Focus On Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru may be a more discussed figure in the political circuit but diplomats too are talking about him. Recently, Indonesian ambassador to India Sidharto Suryodipuro tweeted a picture of Nehru. He wrote that the Indian Navy ship Delhi sailed to Indonesia in June 1950, and asked who all were the VVIP passengers on board. In the picture, Nehru can be seen sitting with two young boys — his grandsons Rajiv and Sanjay — and Indira Gandhi is seen sitting at the back. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi likely to travel to Indonesia later this month, it was an interesting way to create a buzz around the trip.
Clarity Awaited
The end of campaigning for Karnataka elections has given some hope to BJP leaders and cadres in Rajasthan. They may now get a state unit chief. It has been nearly a month since the party leadership indicated that Ashok Parnami, the then Rajasthan BJP president, be eased out, along with replacing the state unit chief in Madhya Pradesh. Although Madhya Pradesh got a new chief, BJP cadres in Rajasthan are still waiting for the name of their new state unit president. State leaders are curiously watching the stand-off between the central leadership and Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje over the choice of the new leader. With party president Amit Shah finally free from campaigning in Karnataka, BJP leaders in Rajasthan hope there will be clarity now about the post.