Home Minister Rajnath Singh
Home Minister Rajnath Singh elicited some chuckles while addressing a gathering of international aviation security experts at Vigyan Bhavan on Tuesday. Recounting aviation-related terror incidents, Singh said, “The case of the shoe bomber in 2001, the use of liquid explosives in London in 2006 and the case of the underwear bomber in Amsterdam in 2009 clearly indicate that terrorists are pushing the limits, and even their underpants, to hit the aviation sector.”
Deja Vu
History has come full circle for the Chautala family after nearly three decades. It was family patriarch Devi Lal then, who had to contend with rivalry between two of his four sons, Om Prakash Chautala and Ranjit Singh, over political succession. He chose Om Prakash at the risk of a split in the party. Om Prakash proved his mettle by successfully leading the family outfit and forming a government in Haryana on his own. Now, he feels compelled to choose between his younger son Abhay Chautala and Dushyant Chautala, son of his jailed elder son Ajay Chautala. His choice is clearly Abhay. With Dushyant’s supporters hooting and whistling during speeches of both Om Prakash and Abhay at a recent rally at Gohana, the succession war has already begun.
Temple Turn
On a tour of Madhya Pradesh in the run-up to Assembly polls, SP president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday visited a Jain temple in Khajuraho, met Acharya Vidya Sagar and sought his blessings. During the nearly one-hour stay at the temple, Akhilesh and Acharya Vidya Sagar interacted in Kannada language. When asked about Akhilesh’s command over Kannada, a senior SP leader said that Akhilesh knows the language very well because he stayed in Karnataka when he was pursuing graduation in civil engineering from Mysore University. During the discussion, Akhilesh said he has always done “gau seva’ (care of cows).