By Dilip Cherian
Russian president Vladimir Putin’s one-day visit to Dilli was short on time but big on substance and even bigger on traffic snarls for Delhi’s harried citizens. A slew of agreements on infrastructure, energy and defence, including among others, a crucial deal on 12 nuclear reactors and military helicopters, are to indicate and reassure that old ties with Russia remain strong. But beyond the rhetoric, the subtext was clear: economics. Modi wants to bring business to India, and Putin, under Western pressure on Ukraine, too is keen to retain India as a reliable ally and sell his wares too.
Still, the fleeting visit managed to create a stir outside the talks between Putin and Modi. Putin brought along Sergey Aksyonov, “prime minister” of Crimea, as part of his delegation, which has naturally irked the US and other Western nations, though it was “clarified” that he wasn’t included in the official talks. But if Putin’s decision to string along a controversial leader to India was a calculated one, there was an obvious effort by Modi sarkar too, to not mention past grievances with the Russian government, especially over the contentious sale of the Russian aircraft carrier to the Indian Navy. The BJP, in opposition then, had aggressively denounced the UPA government on the deal. Obviously, being in government has made Modi and the BJP apparatchiks change their tune. Besides the obvious interest in Putin’s visit, Dilli has also watched the low-key presence of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj as Modi ensured the spotlight remained on him and his distinguished Russian visitor.
Schism within
The knee-jerk ban on cab service provider Uber after the rape in Dilli has apparently created a schism within the Modi government. Even as home minister Rajnath Singh took “decisive” action by taking such cab services off the roads almost simultaneously, Nitin Gadkari, the transport minister, came out equally categorically against the ban. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reportedly, quietly sought an explanation from Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari when he met the two ministers Tuesday night after their statements strengthened the view that the government was divided on the Uber ban. Rajnath’s decision was initially welcomed by some in the party who have an eye on the Delhi Assembly elections due early next year, but Gadkari queered the pitch.
Reportedly, Modi seems to be tending to favour Gadkari’s views and apparently has asked Rajnath to find out who misled him within the ministry. Clearly, then the trail is likely to end at some babu’s desk, who will then have to pay the price. And Rajnath, who’s been in trouble with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) earlier, will have to find an honourable escape route out of this crisis.
No child’s play
Every year around this time parents of toddlers go through a tortuous and nerve-wracking procedure to get their children admitted to Dilli’s nursery schools. Every year new attempts are made by the government, schools and the judiciary to make nursery admissions easier and more transparent, to little avail. It’s that time of the year approaching, and like in previous years, matters are unlikely to improve.
November 28, a single bench of the High Court had quashed the points system issued by the Lt-Governor last year, which had created much confusion among school authorities as well as parents. The court’s order has clearly brought much cheer to the schools, though it has not brought any cheer to parents, or the government, which has practically been told to reframe its education policy. The parents’ dilemma is obvious: with every school now framing its own rules, their choices just got that much harder. For now, they have decided on a “wait-and-watch” policy. Their wait for day when there is a common admission policy and schedule just got longer.
Name calling
A committee proposed and Delhi Metro disposed. The Delhi Government has changed the names of 10 Metro stations, including seven proposed stations under its Phase III of construction. The move comes after the recommendations of a committee constituted by the government for renaming Metro stations. According to the transport department, the names of three existing Metro Stations – Tughlakabad, Badarpur and Okhla – have been changed and they will now be known as Tughlakabad Station, Badarpur Border, Harkesh Nagar Okhla, respectively.
The new names are geographically more accurate and therefore less confusing for Metro users. Certainly, this is less disruptive to commuters than the massive digging of roads and the ensuing traffic gridlocks Dilli witnesses daily as the Metro continues to rapidly expand its network.