Gift Economy
Come September, when Japanese PM Shinzo Abe visits India, he will bring along a special birthday gift for Narendra Modi. On September 17, Modi바카라™s birthday, Abe is expected to be in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, to lay the foundation stone of Modi바카라™s dream project바카라”the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train. The 500-km high-speed train corridor, India바카라™s first, will be built at the cost of Rs 1 lakh crore and use the Japan-origin shinkansen technology. It will be interesting to see what return gift Modi chooses to gives Abe, whose birthday follows just a few days later, on September 21!
Judgement Day
With less than a month to go for the appointment of the next Chief Justice of India, murmurs of dissent have begun at the Bar. A lawyers바카라™ association, apparently disgruntled by collegium system바카라™s opacity, has written to the ÂPresÂident, the PM and MPs, askÂing them to intervene. As per custom, the outgoing CJI appoints the next senior most Supreme Court judge. The association, which says this is fixed by the collegium in advance, prefers JusÂtice Chelameswar, who has stayed away from collegium meetings. The controversy had been triggered earlier by an Âallegation regarding the choice of a canÂdidate. But the Âcurrent CJI바카라™s position is well known: 바카라śLet constitutional Âfunctionaries discharge their duties without pressure.바카라ť
The Lobbyist바카라™s Lens Â
The wife of a well-known lobbyist, popular in some journalistic and corporate circles, held a photo exhibition in Delhi recently. Politicians and other darlings of Lutyens Delhi came to soak in the black-and-white imagery under lobbyist바카라™s beaming eyes. The gathering was small, considering what the lobbyist could command until a few years ago바카라”an indication, perhaps, of his diminished clout. BJP leaders chose to stay away, not wanting to be seen socialising with him. The only saffron politico who was brave enough to turn up was the media advisor to a Congress leader in his earlier avatar.
Overheard Known for his sharp business acumen, an FMCG-friendly Baba is vying for Âcontracts for child-nutrition schemes in UP, once held by a controversial liquor baron.
