It's Monday and It's Happening

RamVilas doesn't Pass-wan
Utter failure of dogs. This phrase is a literal translation of Hindi’s Kutte fail ho gaye, which is what happens when your cloak lies in shatters and your vulnerabilities are exposed. Mr Ramvilas Paswan is faced with a situation where his dogs have failed. Bihar has finally gone to where it was months ago. His party is breaking into pieces. The kingmaker stands on the verge of becoming a political pauper.

Abort, Retry, Fail, Re-Buta
Just before it was becoming clear that Bihar might see a government, the Assembly has been dissolved. Sonia Gandhi is comfortably getting into her illustrious mother-in-law’s shoes, but it’s not a complemint in this case. She got a minority government installed in Jharkhand, which was given ridiculous period of time to prove majority. It couldn’t. She let the NDA come to power, reluctantly.
Another governor in Goa removed a BJP government and installed Congress’ own. They however couldn’t prove a majority. That state too is going for an election.

La la loo la la la
Laloo Yadav is a happy man. Ramvilas Paswan lies bruised and battle-weary. NDA couldn’t form a government in Bihar. He’s in power at the Centre and Bihar is going for another election. His unprecedented attack on the Election Commission has made it clear that he can go to any extent and that the commission better keep him in good humour. It’s unlikely that he can influence the commission, but he certainly is in a position to influence the administration in the state.

Jo dikhaye so behaal
Priya Village Roadshow's Ajjay Bijli says the security in Delhi cinemas is strict to the point of being irritating. At his cinemas, all of us have to go for a body search before we are allowed entry. It's the same with most cinemas across the city. You are frisked like you are entering a high-security zone. But we don't mind because it makes us feel safe. I recently went to Satyam and the experience was no different.

I am sure those who went in yesterday night were feeling a sense of security after they were subjected to frisking. People surrender cigarette packs, water bottles, cameras, et al. But someone smuggled a bomb in. And it rocked the cinema, minutes after another cinema hall saw a powerful explosion. That sense of security has suffered a collateral damage. After years, I would have to look under my seat for "bombs". The person sitting next to me may be a terrorist. That's what terrorists do. They don't kill as much as they terrorise. They want us to live in fear of the bomb. Shall we be afraid? I say no.

So not Sanghvi. So Natwar.
On Sundays, one of the first things I read is Vir Sanghvi's Counterpoint in the Hindustan Times . He has got style and facility, his reasoning is hard to beat and he calls a spade a spade. So the Sunday before last, I wondered what made him sing paeans for Kunwar Natwar Singh, our minister for external affairs. He did give reasons but none of them were strong enough, not a patch on the ones Sanghvi offers when he makes a point.

Besides, Vir Sanghvi doesn't need to suck up to some one, least of all the old geezer from Bharatpur. I wonder why Sanghvi would do that. The India Today magazine conducted a survey recently and rated the ministers. Mr Singh came tenth with less than 50 per cent approval rating. Mr Sanghvi’s own Hindustan Times and C-Fore did a survey that rated ministers, Mr Singh didn’t figure in the first four. But Sanghvi’s Counterpoint made him look like he’s the best Manmohan Singh’s got in his Cabinet. How can Vir Sanghvi get it wrong?

Are these Muftis serious or just muft ka public ko bewaqoof bana rahe?

Suicide attacks are un-Islamic, unless it's in Israel or India. Waah. A PTI report from Islamabad:

Islamabad, May 17: Muslim clerics in Pakistan today issued a decree declaring as "un-Islamic" suicide attacks in public places in an Islamic country but kept Kashmir out of its purview.

The clerics, who gathered in Lahore, said those who believe that suicide attacks are meant to earn blessings would be considered out of Islam.

However, 58 clerics from different schools of thought, said the decree does not apply to Palestinian and Kashmiri Muslims.

The decree was issued at a press conference by Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman, who heads an officials moon sighting body and the government-run federal Press Information Department.

He said murder of a non-Muslim is also prohibited if he comes to a Muslim state with permission as "Islam calls for protection of non-Muslims".

Are we really that sick?

Another sensational rape, and a series of stories and scathing attack on the police, who this time could have caught the criminals, but didn't really wake up to it. Residents of Delhi have accepted the fact that this city is not safe for women, especially after the sun goes down. OK.

What angers me most is the reaction from a large part of the population that wants girls to behave. This sickens me. They do this in good faith not knowing that they inadvertently transfer the blame on the victim.

Sample some of the reactions. Why did they step out of home at 2 am? These days, girls wear shorts and short skirts and move out. They openly hug and kiss boys.

Basically women invite rape, huh?

One friend, who's otherwise a very sane, secular and accommodative man, went on to say that many girls from Northeast have been found soliciting in that area and that this too may be borne out of confusion (Read: the rapists thought the girls were out to have fun). How sad! I felt like hitting him but just told him to shut his trap.

Because I know he's not saying it with any malice. It's the prejudice he's been fed for ages and his totally isolated experiences compounded by maybe limited knowledge.

Are we getting weirder? Or just Shiv Sena has an increasing vote bank in Delhi.

Recently, a policeman raped a student in Mumbai, and some politicians went on record saying girls must not wear “provocative” clothes.

Rapists don’t choose their targets based on what she is wearing. So morons, shut your traps.