Unfurling BJP's flag rather than tricolour on Republic Day

Was it a coincidence that the workers of Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) hoisted the party flag instead of the national flag on Republic Day at different locations in the state?

In Bhopal, the BJP councillor, Vandana Parihar stunned the residents when she hoisted BJP's flag at Nehru Nagar. The BJP workers were present on the occasion. Parihar late said that there was no disrespect intended to the national flag on the Republic Day. She claimed that she had hoisted the national flag early in the morning.

Later the Congress leaders reached the area and staged a demonstration. Similar incidents were reported from other places of the state also. In Mandsaur also, the local BJP workers hoisted the BJP flag. The workers said that as per the guidelines of the party they put up the flag and performed the 'puja' of Bharat Mata.

Surprisingly, it was neither the foundation day of the party, nor any other important day in the history of the saffron party. Though it was objectionable and a serious issue, it is learnt that the BJP workers hoisted their flag as per a scheme. They were testing the reaction among public over such step.

There was no violent reaction or major opposition. Insiders in the BJP say that the party has never been comfortable with the fact that the Congress flag resembles the national flag and the RSS intends to make a change in this direction. This was probably a test case.

Did Chief Secretary ask for constable's suspension?

Was a constable suspended just because he had dared to stop the car of Chief Secretary Rakesh Sahni?

Local Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar reported that constable Kudrat Ali had stopped the traffic to let Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's vehicle pass at a trafic junction.

Though the newspaper doesn't enjoy much credibility and is also known for playing up or playing down stories to suit it's aims, there appear some substance in the news.

The vehicles of common citizens that were stopped on the other side of the junction included the car of CS. Sahni's guard asked constable to let the vehicle pass but constable refused and said that rules can't be changed for someone.

This is the Bhaskar version and is termed half-truth by some others. The other version is that the constable had let some police officers' vehicles pass but not the CS's car.

Yet another version says that CS didn't want constable to be suspended but some senior IPS officers took the action and then planted the news in the Hindi paper to settle the scores. It's tough to know the exact truth from a cocktails of hearsay and half-truths.

The current IAS Vs IPS feud is known to everybody in MP. Though the suspension is wrong, the practice of stopping traffic for a VIP or VVIP's cavalcade is equally unjustifiable.

Essar's Singrauli power project faces rough weathers

The Essar's proposed 125o MW power project in Madhya Pradesh's Singrauli is becoming a second Singur as residents oppose the land acquisition.

The administration's attempt to silence the detractors and manipulate the media hasn't met with success. Singrauli is on the boil. Unfortunately the state government has yet to formuate a proper compensation package.

Essar isn't clear about it either. But the bureaucrats who tried to feed the media that the trouble was minor, have failed to deal with the situation. In the absence of proper rehabilitation process and non-implementation of existing guidelines, the discontent is simmering.

The police had to fire, reminding the country of a Nandigram-like situation that occurred in West Bengal. Mineral-rich Singrauli is a new district in the state and is located on the border of Uttar Pradesh.

Once again the poor are being displaced under the facade of development. Hundreds of acres of land is yet to be acquired. In the current situation when there is already arson, attacks and agitation, it seems too difficult that the project may come up until there is sensitivity towards poor locals, tribals and villagers whose land is being forcibly acquired.