news details |
|
|
| Austerity drive ok but questions remain Will Sonia get the CMs to endtheir weekend Delhi Jaunts? | | |
ABID SHAH
New Delhi, Sept 15:
Congress general-secretary Mr Rahul Gandhi’s train ride as an ordinary passenger from here to Ludhiana and back on Tuesday may well have created a flutter through the political class. Yet the question that stares hard in the face of those ensuring austerity is how the Centre could take its current drive down to the level of State Capitals, their leaders and bureaucrats.
Flying in State aircraft and choppers by the higher ups from states is a rule rather than exception. Taking flights and opting for the best seat in the aircraft is a matter of habit for the middle-rung State politicos.
And as old habits die hard, there have been dissenting voices in the wake of Union Finance Minister Mr Pranab Mukherjee’s exhortations to peers to opt for economy class while taking domestic flights and business class while flying abroad.
Among others the redoubtable Dr Farooq Abdullah liked to trivialize the idea of economy class travel by telling colleagues after a recent Cabinet meeting, “how could a tall man like me fit in the economy class.”
Those listening Dr Abdullah might well have been amused a bit before they start following Mr Mukherjee’s ‘harsh’ writ. But the Finance Minister may not have his way with certain flamboyant Chief Ministers who fly out and in their State Capitals at will and have no urgent need to oblige the Centre in the wake of its austerity drive to face the drought or to worry about its fiscal fallout.
Those in the know of things particularly mention Chief Ministers of States that are in Delhi’s proximity like Punjab and Haryana as also those that are as far off as Uttar Pradesh or Jammu and Kashmir.
Sources say that it has been virtually a habit for UP Chief Minister, Ms Mayawati, and her J&K counterpart, Mr Omar Abdullah, to spend weekends in Delhi.
While Ms Mayawati does not have spouse or children and thus has her own reasons to frequent Delhi, Mr Omar Abdullah’s family has taken residence at Akbar Road in Capital’s Central vista where the Chief
Minister invariably joins them on Saturdays and Sundays before going back mostly on Mondays to Srinagar.
Not just this involves cost of toing-and-froing but also armed men from Delhi Police to guard his family residence round the clock. And about two weeks ago one such guard suddenly ran out of luck when he was hit by a speeding call centre vehicle on Akbar Road in front of Mr Abdullah’s family abode. The profusely bleeding policeman was quickly rushed to hospital by colleagues. Yet he succumbed to injuries.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
