Delhi confidential: Turbulence

Emergency Error
Some BJP leaders had to face embarrassing moments at the party’s recent anti-Emergency show, organised by the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Foundation. One of the participants was offended by the tone of a young volunteer, who was taking down the names of those who were imprisoned during Emergency. “Aap andar the,” was the question the volunteer asked those who lined up to register their names. When one participant protested, saying he was not in jail for any crime, the volunteer retorted, “Acchaji, aap MISA mein andar the?”

Social Gathering
There were some light moments during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interaction with social media activists on Wednesday. Temsutula Imsong, a social worker who took the help of social media to mobilise people for cleaning the Varanasi ghats, told Modi that she found it hard to believe when he praised her initiative on Twitter because the message came on April 1 — All Fools’ Day. Modi laughed at her remark, and praised her as an example for using the social media in a positive manner.

E-governance
Women and Child Development Secretary V Somasundaran is said to be a stickler for technology. Within days of taking charge, he made it clear to all officers that all communication should be over email. There were even e-office training sessions organised for ministry staff at all levels.

Waiting Game
Three months after he sent a detailed response to a showcause notice issued by the Human Resource Development Ministry seeking his reply to allegations against him, Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Dinesh Singh is yet to receive final word from the ministry. The ministry issued the notice to Singh on March 17. While it has sought legal opinion on his reply, the ministry is yet to take a call on any action against Singh, leading many to believe that the prevalent opinion within the government may be to let him complete his term which ends in October.