The election rhetoric.

1. The New Claims.

    After refusing to accept the surgical strikes carried out by the Army and then, the Air Force,
    the Congress had announced that it had carried out three during its tenure in the government.
    Today, it has raised those incursions to six without any crying need to do so and therefore,
    making it yet another claim that cannot be believed. The party had asked for proof while the
    Modi government and the armed forces had informed about the events to the country.

    On that line, will it be giving the proof of its surgical strikes too?

2. Penalty for Bogus Voting.

    The Election Commission has recommended legal action against three Indian Union Muslim
    League workers for alleged bogus voting at two vulnerable booths in Madayi, Kasaragod.
    Mohammed Fias, Abdul Samad and KM Mohammed are the ones who'd entered the booths more
    than once. The complaint against Hashique, the fourth, is yet to be proved.

    Just like the LDF, the UDF seems to have skeletons in their cupboard too! I'm eagerly waiting to
    see as to how the EC tackles this issue comprehensively.


3. CPM Trains Guns on Jamaat-e-Islami.

    Irked by the unconditional support extended by the Jamaat-e-Islami to the UDF, in the just
    concluded Lok Sabha elections, the CPM has heightened the its attack on the organisation,
    describing it as the 'fountainhead of religious extremism' in the country.

    The ease with which the perceptions have been changed, for not batting along is interesting!


Tailpiece.

Got up with the alarm, went through the chores and were ready well in time. Annie fetched up finally - phew! - and the house was back to its gleaming self after she'd finished her work by late evening. By evening, Lekha had developed a swelling on her left leg that reminded me of a similar occurrence, in Sep '10, when Dr. Ramachandran had diagnosed it as the perking up of the dormant SLE. She had to be put on additional medicines for bringing it under control.

Hopefully, the tests of tomorrow would give us the answers and thankfully, we are meeting up with her doctor on the 7th.

Election cacophonics (Contd....)

1. Dirty Politics!

    It's big news that China has quietly bowed down to the wishes of the majority in the UN Security
    Council - after repeated blockages of the resolution - to brand Masood Azhar as an international
    terrorist. While the entire world seems to agree that the Indians had achieved a diplomatic coup,
    the entire opposition especially, the Congress, has said the following in connection with it:-

        (a) It was the Congress that had initiated the process (That it didn't have a sense of urgency
             and hence, no meaningful headway could be achieved and they turned out to be a failure.

        (b) The Indian government couldn't take credit by itself because it was the Chinese government
              that needed to felicitated!

        (c) And what about getting Dawood Ibrahim and the likes?

   What a sorry plight? Are these guys hostile to the Indian nation? Any country's foreign policy must
   have the endorsement of the entire political spectrum because it's a continuation of the past - the         posture, the initiatives and the consequent dealings with the foreign countries. But it was the same       opposition that needed proof of the surgical strikes and the results of the Balakot strikes!

   Have your personal differences with Modi but do not belittle his government's achievements! It's
   like congratulating the IAF for the Balakot strikes though rightfully, it should have been for the
   Prime Minister who'd taken the decision to go ahead. If it had failed, the very same opposition
   would have dumped the entire responsibility on him, which should be, anyways! Double
   standards!!


   Real sad!

2. The Bogus Voting Saga.

    The bogus voting has a large spread, going by the accusations and their counters. Of the three
    major fronts, it's only the NDA that doesn't seem to have nothing against it! It would be
    interesting to note the antidote prescribed by the Election Commission.

    The doubt about how a political party, always, has the upper hand in certain constituencies now
    takes a different dimension altogether!

3. A New Dimension.

    Almost three decades after he migrated from Kashmir after being shot at and injured in his
    wholesale provision store at Gada Kocha in downtown Srinagar, 74-year-old Kashmiri Pandit,
    Roshan Lal Mawa, restarted his business amid a tumultous welcome from Muslim traders.

    Will we see the return of the Pandits?     



Tailpiece.

We'd got up at 4, gone through the chores and were ready to hit the road by 6 but before setting off, we had celebrated Mini's birthday. The cake was cut and the merry making was initiated. We'd set off soon after. The journey was fine and we'd our first breather for breakfast, 8 km short of the town of Alappuzha.

Heard on the FM about the mammoth roadblock at the Palarivattom flyover and hence, took a detour via Edakochi, which was a disaster because the already narrow road was dug up for laying the underground cable and reduced to a miserable stretch of ups and downs!

Short of the Paliyekkara toll plaza, we'd stopped for lunch at the Saravana Bhavan which was good. Immediately after reaching the town of Thrissur, we'd dropped Rema at the Road Transport Corporation bus stand. She was able to board a Coimbatore-bound super fast bus for her onward travel to Palakkad.

We'd continued with our journey, picked up grocery, vegetables and fruits from the National Supermarket and were at 'The Quarterdeck' by about a half past 3. The opening of the house followed by the unpacking took its time. Meanwhile, Rema had called up to say that she had reached her house by teatime.

The boy from the Medicare had dropped a few medicines and the evening was comparatively free. We saw our usual programmes on the television and hit the sack at our usual time of 2300 hrs! It was only while lying down on the bed that one realised as to how tired one was over the course of the day!!

PS.

It's a step in the right direction that the Muslim Education Society has issued regarding the ban of 'burqas'. It's not right to impose a dress code, in fact, the people must have the right to chose their clothes! 

Election cacophonics.

1. Malpractice in Postal Ballots.

    Allegations of malpractice arose after a voice message in a police association What'sApp group
    asked all officials to hand over the ballot papers to the association leaders for voting. The
    opposition has called for stringent action against those who have allegedly manipulated the postal
    votes of the police officials deployed on election duty.

    Another case of officials trying to sabotage the rules and guidelines of the Representation of the
    People Act!

2. Supreme Court Forces Rahul Gandhi to Apologise.

    Facing pointed questions from the Supreme Court with the contempt of court sword hanging
    overhead, Rahul Gandhi realised the gravity of the situation and quickly offered to tender apology
    for his mistake in linking the court's order on the Rafael review petition to his 'chowkidar chor hai'
    political jibe against the PM.

    The court's observations were:-

        (a) Rahul Gandhi had deliberately used its ruling for his jibe against the PM knowing fully well
             that the public will believe it as they have immense faith in the court.
        (b) He needed a 22 page affidavit to express regret.

    Kudos to Meenakshi Lekhi for embarking upon this legal course of action! But does it really
    prevent the Congress workers from using it?

3.  The Question About Rahul Gandhi's Citizenship.

     The Union Home Ministry sought an explanation from Rahul Gandhi on a representation filed
     by Dr. Subramanian Swamy questioning his citizenship claiming that he was director and
     secretary of Backops Limited, a company registered in UK in 2003 and based at Winchester,
     Hampshire. The annual returns of the company filed on 10 Oct '06 and 31 Oct '06 had declared
     Rahul's nationality as British.

     Another legal hassle that the Congress president has got into!

4. Maoists Kill Security Personnel.

    At least 15 jawans were killed in an IED explosion, this afternoon, at Gadchiroli in Maharashtra.
    The perpetrators of the ghastly attack were the Maoists, though the place was peaceful for a long,
    long time.

    Sad! The lives of jawans have been snuffed by unscrupulous men!! RIP, honourable men. My
    salute, tears and prayers. May your families have the strength to tide over these trying times. Their
    loss can never be compensated!


Tailpiece.

Had got up at our usual time, gone through the chores and were ready well in time. Rema left for Pidavoor soon after breakfast to spend the day with Padmakumar's mom and had returned by evening. Meanwhile, Kunjumon had dropped the first set of materials at our courtyard. Was amazed that he got people to load and unload the material on a May Day when the entire lot of workers were participating in May Day rallies all over the state!

In Kerala, the plethora of happenings never cease to surprise me!!   

More stories from the election round ups!

1. Lalu Yadav's Sons.

    The RJD is fighting the elections in Bihar with two handicaps viz.:-
       (a) the absence of Lalu Yadav who is in jail.
       (b) the love-hate relationship between his two sons - Tej Pratap and Tejaswi.

    Tej has often been perceived as being rebellious leaving the party red-faced quite often. Rabri
    Devi has compared the sibling rivalry to the Mahabharat, "Mahabharat can never end. Differences
    are there in all families, be it big or small."

    The RJD party is a family business!

2. The Jat Quota Leader Opposes the BJP.

    Yashpal Malik, the president of the 'Akhil Bharatiya Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti' that led the
    Jat reservation stir in Haryana will oppose the BJP in this election. Despite spearheading the
    movement, he faces resistance from within the community and he terms it as attempts to divide
    the Jats.

    Holding the major political parties to ransom for narrow political gains!

3. 100 Year Old Lady Votes.

    The 100-year-old-woman and former lieutenant with the Rani Jhansi Regiment of Netaji's Azad
    Hind Fauj, Manwati Arya, braved the heat to cast her vote in Kanpur. Despite ill health, she
    reached the polling station on a wheel chair.

    Her fervour to vote is indeed an inspiration for everyone!


Tailpiece.

Had got up at our usual time, gone through the chores and were ready in time for breakfast. Rema, Mini, Lekha and Sanil left for Kottarakkara for sundry purchases and work in the panchayat office as well as the Village office.

Today happens to be the late Laila Samson's birthday. Remembered her and said a special prayer for her; sent a message to her daughter, Leela. 

Another phase of elections is over.

Had got up at our usual time, gone through our chores and were ready well in time. Meanwhile, three workers had come to work on the rubber plantation around the house. The work involves removal of the wild grass and weeds, bolstering of the platforms on which the plants have taken roots and application of manure at the end of it all.

I and my sisters, then, left for Kottarakkara to finish the bank work. It did take more time than I'd anticipated but dad and mom's connections with the bank were terminated, once for all. When Jacob Mathew, the manager of the bank, crumpled mom's ATM card there was a tinge of sadness - an account that was opened in the early '70s had changed hands from dad to mom in '12 on his passing away, technically, though they were two different accounts!

Our association with the bank had come to an end! We'd, then, gone across to Mini's account to complete the formalities.

On return and after a quick lunch, we were off to Thiruvananthapuram to look up Indira kunjamma, Maman and Sindhu - had not been able to make it there during Vichani kujamma's passing away but the visit to that house was a no-show as there was nobody in the house! Hadn't informed them because we wanted to give them a surprise but got surprised, instead!! Enroute there was a brush with a two wheeler which gave yet another gash on my Chevy!

We reached back by a quarter to 9. The KSEB made our lives miserable because of frequent power interruptions and when we were going to sleep, there was no power. It was resumed quite late into the night but thankfully, the heat was manageable because of the late evening showers.

1. The Fourth Phase.

    The fourth phase of elections - covering 71 seats across the states of Maharashtra, Orissa, Bihar,
    Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, UP and Jammu and Kashmir - got over by
    the end of this evening. Violence marred the peaceful atmosphere in a few booths in West Bengal!

    The '19 elections are, now, poised beyond the half way mark!

2. Manishankar Aiyar at it Again.

    After the rumours that Manishankar was killed in Balakot by the IAF bombings as said by a
    lot of false messages, he'd surfaced showing that he was alive and kicking and got into his
    favourite pastime - Modi bashing! He still doesn't seem to have got over the hangover of a
    'chaiwala' making it big! Sad!!

    It's these narrow minded guys that rule us subsequently!

3. And Now, the Claim.

    The Congress has now said that Priyanka Gandhi's no-show at Varanasi was a 'collective decision'
    without realising that it was never an issue, in the real sense. How many more stories will be
    in circulation?

    A perfect example of flogging a dead horse!

4. Complaints of Bogus Voting.

    Bogus voting has been reported from Mavelikkara and Alappuzha too. Well, and they talk
    about their adversaries manipulating the EVMs to their advantage!

    The election commission's actions are anxiously awaited!

Election related stories.

1. Bogus Voting!

    There has been extensive cases of bogus voting in the Kasaragod parliamentary constituency. The
    Mathrubhoomi News channel has brought out video grabs from the polling booth in AUP School
    at the Pilathara segment. Six people have been captured by the camera's eye and one of them
    happens to be a panchayat member belonging to the CPM.

    The election commission had installed close circuit television in all the booths which have brought
    out the sordid story. A video grab, even, shows a lady being administered the indelible ink on her
    forefinger which she immediately rubs on her hair and on the consequence disappearance of the
    mark, she returns for voting yet again!

    The election commission has to take immediate remedial action.

    And the CPM has all along been crying wolf in that the electronic voting machines are erratic and
    helps the BJP, in particular. Well, Sitaram Yechury needs to do a lot of answering!

2. Rahul Talks About Farmer's Budget.

    Rahul Gandhi, at an election rally, has told that his government will bring out an 'Agricultural
    Budget' before the General Budget. He has also promised that Anil Ambani and Nirav Modi will
    be put behind bars if his party came to power!

    Interesting!

3. Shatrughan Sinha's Gaffe!

    At an election rally in Chindwara of Madhya Pradesh, Shatrughan Sinha while canvasing for
    Kamal Nath's son said that Mohammed Jinnah was a Congressman. He later said that it was a
    slip of the tongue.

    His BJP background cannot be wished away, I suppose!

4. Gautam Gambhir Pulled Up.

    He's the BJP's candidate from the East Delhi constituency. On 26 Apr, he'd campaigned for the
    Jhangpura's BJP candidate without obtaining the Election Commission's permission and has
    initiated a case in this regard.

    Well, such mistakes are unacceptable!


Tailpiece.

Getting up around a half past 3, early in the morning and then, sleep refusing to return has become a regular feature these days. Consequently, I recite my prayers and on completion, sleep would have beckoned me.

Had got up at our usual time, opened up the house and put on the devotional music. We were ready well in time and left for the Akhil-Aswathy wedding at a half past 10. Wished the couple many happy returns and returned. Enroute, we'd picked up gifts from the mall, for Mini in view of her birthday on the 2nd of May and another for Chippy's new born child. We headed straight for my cousin, Soman's house and draped the ceremonial shawl around his wife, Prasanna who's retiring this month-end.

There were power interruptions galore in anticipation of the heavy rains, forecast for the evening!

     

More snippets....

1. The PM's Observation.

    The Prime Minister, while interacting with the BJP workers at Varanasi, has said that the BJP
    workers in Kerala and West Bengal do not know as to whether they would return to their mothers
    at the end of the day, because of the violence unleashed by the CPM cadres. He was giving his
    assessment after hearing about the political murders that take place in the two states. Touched to
    the quick, the Kerala chief minister has disowned the observation saying that the number of
    incidences in the state is quite low!

    Finally, there's some discussion about political murders!

2. Countering Dad!

    After the snub that the BJP had undergone when Mukesh Ambani had openly endorsed his support
    to the Congress candidate, Milind Deora, from South Bombay, his son, Anand Ambani had joined
    up to hear Narendra Modi at one of his election rallies. He has said that he supports the PM and
    his governance!

    These businessmen have their balancing acts too!

3. Daler Mehendi Joins the BJP.

    After joining the Congress in '13, just prior to the Delhi State Assembly elections, Daler Mehendi
    had scripted parodies and sung them during the election rallies. He was the party's answer to
    Navjot Singh Sidhu of the BJP, then. He has now joined the BJP.

    An example of changing loyalties and events having taken a full circle!


Tailpiece.

Had got up at our usual time, gone through the chores and were ready well in time. Mini and Lekha had gone to the Kottarakkara Mahaganapathy kshethram by a half past 9. Repair work - both plumbing and electrical and not major ones - were undertaken with Manu, who was called for the purpose. Finally, the deal for the truss work over the entire house was struck. Kunjumon will do it at the beginning of next week after respite from the heavy rains, consequent to the cyclonic disturbance on the eastern coast.