A Prime Minister needs better choice of words
The language our PM and some Congress politicians are using during election rallies in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh does not befit the office each one of them holds. Some irresponsible Cong MLAs asked sarcastically about the father of PM Modi. This is highly condemnable. But the person who set the use of such language into motion is PM himself. The run up to 2014 elections he had referred to Sonia Gandhi as Jersey cow and Rahul Gandhi as the hybrid calf. Actually none of the Congress leaders have brought down the level of discourse to as worse as Modi did.
This country has seen many PMs starting from Nehru to Manmohan Singh. But nobody had stooped this low. Even Atal Bihari Vajpayee who came from Modi's own party addressed his detractors with great respect and dignity. He would never address anyone in singular figure of speech. Even if he did, he'd immediately express regret for that. But our PM suffers from less education and low research on any topic he'd prefer to speak. So that comes out evidently. He even forgets the fact that he is a PM and uses all sorts of mediocre body language and blatant lies to support his fake arguments. His speeches barely have truths in them.
One wonders whether the PM is even aware of whatever he is doing. On Sunday, speaking at an election campaign in Rajasthan, he said “Congress is exerting pressure on the Supreme Court in the backdrop of 2019 elections”. A PM should not stoop so low to bring down the credibility of the Supreme Court. In actual sense, Congress is not in any position to bring any pressure on Supreme Court with a mere 44 MPs. BJP is in power, with absolute majority. A PM with 56’ chest is representing them. There are allegations that the government is interfering with the judiciary too. BJP rode the Ram Mandir wave and came to power assuring to build Ram Mandir and it couldn’t have been difficult for the party to build the Mandir through an ordinance. But the party chose to remain silent for the last four and a half years, and with just six months to go for Lok Sabha elections BJP is trying to organize Dharma Sabhas in Ayodhya and instigate the Hindus to form a vote bank again.
The Modi government gave probably the worst administration in the term so far and never attempted to solve any problem prevailing in the country. Black money didn’t come into the country in any form, though this was one of the main assurances he had made to people in the run up to the elections. Inflation went unchecked. The cooking gas that was available for Rs 398 in 2014 now costs Rs 1000 now. Banking sector has been ruined. The skirmish between Reserve Bank and Finance ministry is out in the open. Internal squabbles have become the order of the day in CBI. UGC has been uprooted. Planning Commission doesn’t exist anymore. Corporate industrialists have robbed the banks and escaped to other nations with the help of the government. The GauRakshaks are making people’s life miserable, by killing innocent people on mere suspicion. Law and order has collapsed. The PM didn’t break his silence even when Gauri Lankesh was killed or Swami Agnivesh was attacked.
Modi bhakts are busy cancelling even music programs of Carnatic vocalists. People are tired of the ill effects of GST and demonetization. To avoid facing the ire of these people in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the government is busy dividing them on religious lines and instigating them against the Congress. CBI is being brandished like a weapon to shut the mouth of leaders of other parties. This does not dignify the chair of the PM. Elections come and go, but the main task of every politician is to ensure the constitution is respected and adhered to.
The neighbouring Pakistan that took to military rule is unable to extricate itself to establish a democratic process owing to the misrule of some army generals. But India has upheld its secular credentials and upheld the democracy owing to the fact that our constitution empowers us. If all these are protected, the country will remain strong and safe.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Junior Hockey World Cup: IndiGo crisis disrupts travel plans of players' families, fans
Chennai (PTI): For Kate, the dream was simple -- to watch her son Fahy Noah play for the Australian team in the Junior Hockey World Cup here and visit the Taj Mahal.
But her plans, like those of many others, have been upended by the operational crisis that has hit IndiGo, India's largest domestic airline.
"I am here for the first time and India is so kind and welcoming. We were hoping to see the Taj Mahal, but with the IndiGo problems, we are a bit scared now," Kate, who has come from Brisbane, told PTI outside the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium here.
"One family went on a rest day and got stuck overnight. I think we will have to cancel all our travel plans now, though seeing the Taj Mahal was on my bucket list for long," she said.
ALSO READ: IndiGo fight disruptions: Opposition demands statement from government
This is the first time that 24 teams are participating in the Junior Hockey World Cup, being held in Chennai and Madurai from November 28 to December 10. For most players and their families, it is their maiden trip to India. Many NRIs have also flown in to support the Indian team.
However, the widespread flight delays and cancellations have thrown schedules into chaos. IndiGo cancelled thousands of flights last week, citing regulatory changes in the pilots' flight duty and regulations norms. This resulted in lakhs of passengers getting stuck at airports across the country.
Laura, who has come from Belgium with her entire family to support her son, said they are now travelling by road.
"We are happy to be here in this beautiful country. We went to Munnar and Madurai, and now we are planning to go to Puducherry and Mahabalipuram by road," she said.
"We had taken IndiGo flights earlier, but some other families who travelled on different days got stuck and somehow managed to come back by train. So we are not flying anywhere in India now. Road travel only and then back to Brussels next week," she said.
For 87-year-old Kenyan hockey legend Avtar Singh Sohal, a four-time Olympian and a lifelong supporter of Indian hockey, the crisis was particularly distressing. He spent 12 gruelling hours at the Chandigarh airport on December 4 before finally reaching Chennai just in time for the quarterfinals.
"Our IndiGo flight was delayed by 12 hours. We were at the airport from 7 am to 7 pm. They kept giving excuses -- the aircraft has not arrived, the pilot is not available. We had no idea what was actually happening," he said.
Accompanying Sohal was 85-year-old Tarlok Singh Mandair, a former treasurer of the English Hockey Association, who had flown in from London.
"It was a horrible experience. They kept changing the timings from 12 noon to 4 pm and we finally took off at 7:20 pm. They gave us sandwiches which were not even good," Mandair recalled.
"Our return flight is also on IndiGo, but now we are exploring other options," he said.
Jujhar Singh Plaha, 86, from London, who was on the same flight, said his excitement has turned into anxiety.
"We were so excited about this trip; hockey is our first love. But this (IndiGo crisis) spoiled our mood. Now we are worried about returning because at our age, we cannot travel long distances by train or road," he said.
Jason, the father of Australian player Roger Lachlan, has had an eventful trip to India so far -- beginning with the rain in Chennai triggered by Cyclone Ditwah.
"We are from Hobart -- home of Ricky Ponting and David Boon. We arrived after a cyclone, which caused heavy rain. Now the sun is out and we are enjoying ourselves," he said with a smile.
Jason, too, has shelved all further travel plans.
"No sightseeing now. We will just eat, swim and head back. I am loving masala dosa, masala tea and curries," he said.
Some fans from Bengaluru, who had booked their flight tickets months in advance, decided not to take a risk. They opted for refunds and drove down to Chennai on Sunday to catch the semifinal.
"With flight uncertainty and trains full, we drove down. We did not want to miss India in the semis," said Vinod Chinnappa, who drove for six hours to come here.
Even officials have not been spared by the flight disruptions.
Digvijay Singh, an official of the Hockey India League franchise, waited eight hours at the Patna airport to catch a flight to Chennai.
"I did not want to miss the India-Belgium quarterfinal, so I waited. I finished all episodes of (web series) Family Man at the lounge," he said.
"I had gone to Patna from Delhi for a meeting earlier in the day and then needed to connect to Chennai," Singh said.
With the World Cup set to wrap up in two days, uncertainty about people's plans to return home looms large.
With prices of alternative flights rising and train seats nearly impossible to find, fans, officials, families and journalists are monitoring travel apps as closely as match updates.
If the situation does not improve soon, returning home could be as challenging as winning matches on the field.
