Don't look for soft targets

To all those critics of AAP - who have used terms like Aaptards, who have criticised AK even for his cough, who have criticised AAP for not fulfilling its agenda even after 30 days of forming government, who have criticised AK if he travels in his own WagonR and who have criticised his ministers if they use government provided Innova and especially who have stormed their offices at various places -

We truly appreciate your energy levels. We as a nation need your energy for better things.

We need you at border to fight with China or Pakistan. Please don't  keep quiet when China intrudes or Pakistan misbehaves by sending beheaded bodies.

Go and vandalise Pakistan or China. Criticise them for everything they do. Make their life tough with whatever they do.

AAP is just a small party and even if it is hand in gloves with congress, voters can throw them out easily. A bigger threat is from unruly neighbours. Please channelise your energy there.

Don't look for soft targets.

Happy Republic Day.

Even bad jokes deserve a break

Political correctness shouldn't overwhelm our sense of humour

A couple of years ago, when Kumar Vishwas was making jokes about Kerala nurses, he certainly would not have imagined it would come to haunt his future political career. After maintaining silence over the last two days while Youth Congress members in Kerala ransacked the offices of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Vishwas has finally apologised from the “depths of his heart”.

The two-year-old video emerged on YouTube this week. In it, Vishwas, who is seeking to fight against Rahul Gandhi in the forthcoming election, is seen berating Kerala nurses for their dark complexion. “One would naturally feel like calling them ‘sister’” he says, before going on to add that nurses these days who come from other parts of the country are much more glamorous. Kerala’s chief minister, Oommen Chandy, immediately wrote to Delhi’s chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, seeking an apology.

While the essential sexism of Vishwas’ remarks cannot be denied, it is imperative that these be viewed within the context in where they were made. Vishwas was speaking at a hasya kavi sammelan — a humorous poetic round-table, as it were. These events are, by their nature, comical, and a talented poet is expected to be quickwitted. Some amount of teasing and inappropriate chatter is built into the very definition of the event. Attendees at such meets, as well as their modern cousins, the stand up comedy nights, expect to hear politically incorrect statements and offensively acerbic observations.

To pull up Vishwas for his comments at a kavi sammelan, then, essentially demonstrates an intolerance towards art. In fact, it is only different in degree from the actions of, say, religious fundamentalists who deface paintings and sculptures because gods or goddesses are “wrongly” depicted in them.

Since the horrific gang rape in Delhi in December 2012, the conversation about gender rights and sensitisation towards women have, rightfully, come to the forefront. It is, however, worrying if the ground gained in the dialogue about gender rights in India devolves to a certain kind of gender vigilantism. If every comment or slight is analysed clinically and without context, it will quickly erase all the gains made in the last year. Certainly, we should be able to talk about gender. And sometimes, we should be able to laugh about it too.

VEENA VENUGOPAL

(Senior Assistant Editor and Editor, BLink)

So, Are RaGa, MMS, NaMo or Nitin Gadkari’s of the world ready to leave their large bungalows?

Do we know the number of rooms in 10, Janpath ?

Or

7, Race course??

Or

Do we know about cars which are being used by congress ministers ?

Even Lal Bahadur Shastri (known as icon of simplicity) lived in a proper Prime ministerial bungalow.

Lok sabha speaker Meira kumar recently acquired her father’s official bungalow shamelessly for 25 years.

Pratibha Patil was again shameless while asking for expansion of 6000 sq ft bungalow to 9000 sq ft.

Three other chief ministers have been sworn-ed in recently. Is anybody talking about there manifestos, bungalows or cars?

Then, why go after AK.

A common man took a challenge and has become a CM.

Something which the established political class and there chamchas can’t digest.

A mentally bankrupt and “available for sale” media can’t digest this and doesn't know how to react.

Anyways, AK has decided not to shift in a 5 bedroom flat.

So, Are RaGa, MMS,  NaMo or Nitin Gadkari’s of the world ready to leave their large bungalows?