Reel nahi, apun ko real Gandhigiri maangta!

7

For all the 'Gandhigiri' Sanjay Dutt espoused in Munnabhai series, for all his efforts to project an image of an ambassador of non-violence through his Munnabhai sequel which for a moment seemed to spawn a pan-India gandhigiri cult, far removed from the AK-56 flaunting days of post-1993 Mumbai blast, the nation's highest court has laid out a real-life script for Sanju Baba by refusing to stay his conviction pronounced by Mumbai's TADA court. The natural and the legal fallout of this judgement is that Sanjay Dutt cannot contest elections. In one mighty blow, the apex court has put paid to Sanjay's hopes of taking his father's legacy forward. Munnabhai MP nahi ban sakta. At least for now. So says the Supreme Court of India. Sanjay's counsel in the court tried to harness every emotional argument in their armour to project his client as a man who has....

Advani out, Varun is the new star on BJP horizon

10

Mr Lal Krishna Advani must be a troubled soul these days. Varun's 'Zehreeli CD' was the last thing he wanted to happen at a time when all his energies are channelised towards projecting a secular image to qualify for the country's coveted post of prime minister. The damage has been done already. Varun's indictment has put Advani and his party on the back foot. Though the party is loathe to admit EC could have reached an unbiased, fair and unanimous decision but in a body of three election commissioners singling out an election commissioner for having bulldozed his decision on the other two is ridiculous. If at all, it is Gopalaswamy who has been accused of sitting over certain controversial decisions with a view to favour the BJP. And lo and behold the same BJP is now questioning the judgement of the Election Commission. For the BJP....

Congress, out of league and out of sync

10

When Lalu Prasad cosied up to Ram Vilas Paswan in a secret seat-sharing deal in Bihar, the Machiavellian politician was merely showing Congress its place. Lalu's move may have surprised Sonia Gandhi but had she had ear to the ground she would have know what was coming. The problem is not Laloo. He has been the most loyal partner Sonia could have ever had. The problem is Congress itself. The problem is Congress' claustrophobic style of functioning; its refusal to see political reasoning beyond a point; its depleting mass base in Hindi heartland; its increasing dependence on allies in different states; its vacuous next generation leadership; its meandering vision which is taking it nowhere, and its weak-kneed effort in taking on communal forces. In the last five years, the Congress has proved to be an ineffective salesman--a change from the time of Indira Gandhi's 'garibi hatao' slogan. It....