Thursday 11 October 2012

What irks Sonia Gandhi more – a non-functioning air-conditioner or rapes?


Sonia Gandhi a few years back went on a two-day long visit to her constituency Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh.
She was to stay at the guest house of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) during her visit.
Her first day in the constituency was quite hectic. She attended many public functions, met several people and addressed a couple of public meetings.
As an exhausted Sonia Gandhi retired to the guest house at the end of the day, she found the air-conditioner of her suite not working due to power failure. She was furious.
She straightaway phoned and chided Sushil Kumar Shinde who was the power minister at that time.
There were two reasons for Sonia Gandhi calling Sushil Kumar Shinde. Being the power minister, it was his duty to see that the country got sufficient power supply and as the ultimate boss of the NTPC he was responsible for the maintenance of the NTPC guest house at Rae Bareli.
The phone call had the desired effect and within seconds, the air-conditioner in Sonia Gandhi’s room started working.
Sonia Gandhi a couple of days back was in Haryana to meet the family of a rape victim who has committed suicide.
Was it necessary for Sonia Gandhi to visit Haryana where rape incidents have become a routine affair?
What jolted Sonia Gandhi out of her complacence and make her visit Haryana after as many as 12 women and girls had been raped – assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh? 2014 general elections? Charges of corruption against the Congress in general and his son-in-law in particular?
The way Sonia Gandhi called Sushil Kumar Shinde for power failure; she could have easily phoned and rebuked Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda when the first incident of rape had been reported from the state.
Bhupinder Singh Hooda is a known loyalist of the present Gandhi family. A phone from Sonia Gandhi would have definitely worked. Had Hooda taken stern action after the first incident of rape, 11 more rapes could have been checked.
A 15-year-old girl was raped some time back in Jind district of Haryana. The victim later committed suicide. Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday met the family members of the dead rape victim. She has promised that apart from money and police security, one member of the family will also get a job.
Let’s shift our focus to Uttar Pradesh and rewind a bit once again. Mayawati was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh at that time and Rita Bahuguna Joshi was the Uttar Pradesh Congress President.
Rape incidents were rising then in Uttar Pradesh and Mayawati was announcing money as compensation to the rape victims.
Rita Bahugana Joshi had made unsavoury comments about Mahaywati offering money to the rape victims. The Bahujan Samaj Party members were incensed and had attacked Rita Bahuguna Joshi’s house in Lucknow.
Now that Sonia Gandhi is offering compensation to the rape victims of Haryana, would Rita Bahuguna Joshi make some comments or express her views? 

No comments:

Post a Comment