Farm Laws Repeal: The Predicaments of a Supporter

 The following article was written for MyInd Makers. Pasting it here for reference:

My first reaction after hearing that the Prime Minister has withdrawn the 3 farm bills was of being intensely disheartened. The supporter in me was very sure that there are thousands like me who must have been very demotivated on hearing this news. English TV media exploded in celebrations. Social media exploded in reactions – ranging from how this is a total capitulation to violent forces to how this climbdown was necessitated because of national security implications to how Prime Minister Modi showed exemplary leadership in apologizing to the nation. As the day(s) progressed, most arguments revolved around these points with passionate arguments flying around.

However, as the day(s) progressed, the supporter in me was still trying to search for an answer because (s)he could not fathom the fact that after vociferously defending the intent and content of the laws, we were now left to wondering how to make sense of this decision. Should we applaud Prime Minister Modi for taking a decision in the interest of national security or should we deride Prime Minister Modi for letting this become an issue of national security in the first place?

Any protest that blocks roads, creates ruckus, damages cell towers, raises a flag on Red Fort, murders people, rapes people is violent. These violent protests were restricted to only a particular region whilst the vast majority of the country welcomed these laws with open arms. The media will obviously try to downplay all these events to portray the protests as being the most peaceful ones in the history of the universe. They have already started telling us that anywhere between 700 to 900 people died because of these “protests”. The angst of the supporter in me is that this is how our history books will be written  – that it took 900 people to die for India’s Prime Minister to climbdown – truth be damned. And today the supporter in me feels helpless that such lies cannot be stopped from being published or taught to our children in the future. Because make no mistake, the ecosystem will make sure it happens.

The example of the withdrawal of the Land Acquisition Bill was given at many places. The supporter in me can clearly understand the difference between Prime Minister Modi of 2015 vs Prime Minister Modi of 2021. And therefore, the supporter in me in unable to comprehend that PM Modi could allow himself to be cornered yet again like in 2015, despite having a much better political capital in 2021.

While the supporter in me definitely took solace from how Prime Minister spoke to nation about this issue, the supporter in me is definitely anxious in how this will play out in the future. Will violent protests become a norm? Will the silent supporter have no, or little avenues left to express himself/herself? Will history books falsify data? Another argument going around was that the states are anyway empowered to do this so they will now go the states route. Now, the supporter in me is unable to comprehend how can both the actions (of introducing and withdrawing the bills) be right?

I hope I am being able to articulate the confusion in the mind of the supporter. Course correction must be applauded. If anything, Modi government has given exemplary attention to feedback and made corrections all along its 7 years in power. Infact, this is one of those things that endears Modi to the people of India. However, the supporter is not sure if this event is a course correction in the first place. It’s impossible to predict how the future will pan out but given how the past had panned out, the supporter in me was very sure that Prime Minister Modi will definitely not back down on such a progressive law that he himself had heralded.

The silly references to “masterstrokes” by the detractors are now getting boring though. If anything, the Modi government perhaps has the highest number of actual masterstrokes than any government of similar duration in the history of the country. The supporter in me definitely understands that Prime Minister Modi is the best bet for India and that whilst my angst is understandable, this will not make me move away from applauding, appreciating, and contributing to his multiple initiatives. This decision is definitely a setback to how the supporter in me will react to future such reforms or even reactions by the usual suspects to those reforms. Currently, I am even unable to comment on the laughable comments by leaders of parties like the TRS or the hypocrisy of the telugu film industry regarding this issue– because am sure they will deride me for supporting the laws in the first place!

Knowing the governance style of Modi, am sure lessons have been learnt. But the supporter in me surely didn’t anticipate such a setback. Merely because a few get violent, the majority who is silent should not suffer. The supporter in me sincerely hopes that the future ramifications of this decision are more positive than negative.

 

PS: No, I am not moving away from Modi! The positives he has done outweigh this by a large margin. It’s just that there is a lesson in this whole saga for all of us, starting from the Prime Minister himself. It would be futile not to acknowledge the lessons we needed to learn!

Book review: India Positive Citizen Perspectives

 The following article was written for MyInd Makers. Pasting it here for reference:

In the mid-90s, when Shoppers Stop opened in Begumpet, Hyderabad, it soon went on to become a landmark for that area. As children we used to be fascinated by looking at the large building that housed a big retail store! All those memories came back when I was reading the founder BS Nagesh’s story in his own words, in Savitha Rao’s awesomely curated book – “Putting #IndiaFirst – India Positive Citizen Perspectives”.

B.S.Nagesh’s is not the only story we get to read and learn in this book. In his chapter, “Know your heroes”, Vikas Manhas enlightens us with a very disturbing fact. Did you know that till as late as the year 1998, there was no policy of bringing back the mortal remains of every soldier to their respective homes? That such a policy could be changed only towards the turn of this millennium reflects quite badly on some of our policy makers from before! Vikas Manhas’s story in how he follows up with 100s of martyrs’ families is really inspiring to read too. We cannot possibly be talking about martyrs and not mention the wonderful work that Meghna Girish and family do for this cause. Her story coupled with Vikas’s story only makes us feel grateful that such people exist in our country today.

Or take for example the story of the visually challenged Srikanth Bolla, who is marching forward with a vision that is unparalleled in today’s world. While the very fact that from his humble beginnings, he went on to graduate from MIT and now runs his own industry is inspiring in itself, the positive attitude he exhibits throught his chapter is simply outstanding. He could have easily rued the ill fate that life has served but when you read how he’s converted his adversity into an opportunity not just for himself but for 100s, you can’t but think about how you can contribute more to this success!

Perhaps not a week passes by in crores of homes without having an AMUL product. While the chapter on AMUL by Dr. R.S.Sodhi, MD of AMUL, made for riveting reading as to how AMUL was established and how it grew, it was equally fascinating to read the pivotal role that Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri played in not only expanding AMUL’s operations across India but also in  ushering in the White revolution in India!

In this book, there are 28 such fascinating stories by achievers in varied fields. Many stories by heroes from our armed forces make really riveting reading in how so many victories were made possible. Infact, General VP Malik’s remarkably humble essay not only spoke volumes about the character of the man himself but is a lesson for all of us on how to remain grounded despite attaining high positions.

By now we are all familiar with the attacks on COVAXIN and Bharat Biotech by the media and Congress party. Dr. Krishna Ella perhaps hasn’t faced a more severe adversity than this attack, but we come to know of many such challenges they have faced in developing multiple vaccines. Reading Dr. Kumud Joshi, Dr. Nagraj Hegde and Dr. HR Nagendra write about their experiences with Yoga and nature based medicinal studies is bound to make you definitely rethink how you will lead your life going forward.

But my personal best was the chapter – “The role of Psychology in the Rise of New India” by Dr. Rajat Mitra. The refreshing perspective that Dr. Rajat Mitra presented in his essay is simply remarkable. It is even difficult for to explain the learnings I’ve had from this brilliant essay. Perhaps you would understand what I feel if you also get to read his essay!

Savitha Rao’s idea in bringing out this book at this time must be really commended. The first line of her essay is so powerful in itself – Nation building is not the job of a few. She has managed to pack so much meaning in such a short sentence. She has elucidated more on the many small things each one of us can do to contribute to building India. I, for one, totally agree with her on the role each one of us should play in building our country. This role can manifest in many forms; can be performed over a short duration or at regular intervals; and can serve as an inspiration to your family, your neighbours, and your colleagues to also contribute.

Of course, am not doing justice by not mentioning the essays by the 28 achievers. Reading about entrepreneurs and learning about various fields such as water management is something that cannot be done in one sitting. The stories in this book are not only about those who created opportunities from their adversities but also about those who gave up on a comfortable life to face adversities in creating new opportunities. In this age of digital forwards where negativity trumps positivity, Savitha Rao’s book indeed makes for a refreshing read. This book must adorn the libraries of all schools and these chapters must be read out in their assemblies. It will do a world of good for our children to learn from these stories.

Chief Ministers of Telugu states offer incongruent explanations to defend non-reduction of fuel prices

The following article was written for MyInd Makers. Pasting it here for reference.

 After the Modi government’s landmark move to reduce petrol price by Rs.5/- and diesel by Rs. 10/- last week, the states ruled by BJP also reduced the prices on the same day. Odisha followed suit in a couple of days. Punjab was the only Congress ruled state that reduced the prices in their states too, because they definitely cannot brazen it out like the other non-BJP states because of the impending elections in Punjab.

I kept on wondering what can be the gameplan of the opposition parties that are brazening this out. The responses of the Chief Minister of the telugu states – Telangana and Andhra Pradesh – gave a great insight into the thinking of the opposition parties.

The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy, put out a full-page ad in many newspapers! He put out two tables and a lot of text to explain his side of the story. The two tables hid more information than revealing anything new!

In the first table, Jagan Mohan Reddy split the “nature of tax” imposed by the central government on petrol and diesel – Excise Duty, Special Additional Excise Duty, Additional Excise Duty (Road and Development Cess), and Other Taxes (Cess, Surcharges). State governments are eligible to get 41% of collected tax only on the “Excise Duty” aspect of it.

According to this table, the central government collecting a total of 3,35,000 crores and the state’s share is 19,475 crores out of this.

The table does not tell us the time frame under which this amount is calculated. Is this from the time Jagan came into power (2019)? Is this for the last year? Is this for the last 7 years since Modi came into power? We are left clueless on this. The table also doesn’t tell us if this is the amount collected only from Andhra Pradesh or from the entire country. Even the text accompanying this unique table doesn’t answer these questions. Instead, the text raises more questions! Here is one such claim from the ad as below!

The international crude oil prices have definitely not come down drastically from May 2019 (~$57) to November 2021 (~$83)! It is appalling indeed how Jagan thought he can get away with peddling such blatant lies in a front-page ad.

In the second table, Jagan exhibits even higher intelligence than the first one! He only gives details on the percentage of taxes levied by the state government but does not give us the exact amount the state government has earned from this!

If the first table talks about the exact amount earned by the central government, then shouldn’t the second table talk about the exact amount earned by the state government too? Jagan claims that all he did was to raise the already existing VAT and surcharge by only 1 rupee, thereby implying that it is totally wrong to ask him to reduce the fuel prices in Andhra Pradesh.

A similar argument was put forth by the Telangana Chief Minister, in his press conference on 7th November. He emphatically claimed that he has never increased the VAT on fuel prices ever since he came to power. In his characteristic style, he thundered that he didn’t increase even a single paisa in his 7 years in power. Unfortunately, the press doesn’t get a chance to question KCR vehemently. Otherwise, someone would have pointed out to him that his government did increase VAT from 31% to ~35% on petrol; from 22% to ~27% on diesel in the year 2015! By KCR’s own logic, he should therefore bring this VAT down to lesser levels!

Both CMs have claimed that the centre has made a lot of money from the cess/surcharge but both of them did not tell how much money the state governments have made from the VAT they have imposed! How can they claim that the state can earn 35% from taxes on petrol to run the state but the central government should not earn for running the country? Why does KCR assume that it is the absolute right of the central government to distribute 41% of everything they earn to the states?

Jagan Mohan Reddy went a step ahead and wrote in his advertisement that he spent the money on repairing roads in the state. With that logic, it is then entirely justified that the centre also levies these taxes because it also has completed a lot of infrastructure projects in the country!

This confused response of the opposition is simply amusing to hear. The responses of the Chief Ministers of the telugu states summarizes the confusion that the opposition is in, right now. Any reduction on their front will be a dent to the revenues to the state coffer; any reduction will also be seen as following the footsteps of the BJP which they don’t want to do – even at the cost of burdening the public!

The icing on the cake is this ad by the Punjab government today – cites the high prices in Rajasthan that is also governed by the Congress party!!

KCR’s press conference: How the abuses, threats and unhinged allegations show TRS’ nervousness at the rise of BJP in Telangana

The following article was written for OpIndia. Pasting it here for reference. 

 When we wrote about KTR’s immature response to the Huzurabad election defeat of the TRS, little did we realise that his father and also CM of Telangana, Shri K. Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) will beat his son to it!

KCR called for a press meet on the night of November 7th. This press meet came in the backdrop of three significant events – the TRS loss in their stronghold Huzurabad; the reduction of petrol and diesel prices by the Government of India; the crisis in the procurement of paddy. 

KCR began his press conference trying to explain how it is the Modi government’s fault (of course, right!) that the farmers of Telangana were not able to sell paddy. Earlier media reports indicated that KCR made a statement to the effect that suicide is the only option if you grow paddy. The opposition, including of course the BJP, took up this statement and made a big issue. KCR provides some statistics and his version of some meetings with the central government and begins to question the “irresponsible” statements of the state BJP President, Bandi Sanjay Kumar. KCR claims that Bandi Sanjay is asking the Telangana farmer to grow paddy and then began his incoherent rant. 

Before explaining the multiple incoherent arguments of KCR, here are some things that KCR said in his press meet yesterday. 

• I have so far not cared what Bandi Sanjay spoke. Many dogs will bark like this, so I just let him be. His stature is not the same as mine, so I never cared. 
• Bandi Sanjay says that he is has a strategy to send me to jail. Do you have the dare to touch KCR? Why don’t you touch KCR and see what will happen? Will you be able to live if you send me to jail?
• Does Bandi Sanjay understand anything regarding policy? Does he know English and Hindi to understand all this?
• Bandi Sanjay says he will hold my neck and make me give money to the farmer. I will break his neck into 4 pieces!
• If you talk irresponsibly, I will cut your tongue! 
• All BJP does is to incite communalism. China is pounding India in Arunachal Pradesh because of the BJP.
• We will incite fire in the country from tomorrow, to expose the BJP government. 
• Union Minister Kishan Reddy is also speaking wrong things. This is not good, Mr Kishan Reddy. I also was a union minister. You should conduct yourselves with dignity. 
• A reporter began his question to KCR with “Opposition is saying…”. KCR stops him and starts shouting at him. Who is this opposition? Humans or Donkeys? Don’t you have any brain to ask (their questions)?

KCR’s justification for all this language is that he kept quiet all these days despite the personal attack on him, but he cannot do it anymore because the BJP is trying to cheat the farmer of Telangana. KCR says he cannot tolerate any insult to Telangana but will tolerate any amount of personal insult. After the first 30 minutes, KCR jumped topics at such a frantic pace that it was difficult to grasp what topic he was speaking on. 

KCR demanded that the farm laws be withdrawn. This is strange because just days after participating in the alleged Bharat Bandh in 2020; after some acerbic criticism of the farm laws in 2020, KCR announced that the Telangana state will implement the Farm laws! A tweet thread by the CMO explained why the farm laws are indeed a boon. Nearly a year after that, he now declares support for the protestors in Delhi, ignoring the very fact that he is happily implementing them in the state! KCR says that farmers in Telangana are doing very well because they are all buying cars! It’s strange that KCR spent so much time on farmer issues when he himself claims farmers in the state are doing really well. 

KCR demanded that the centre withdraw all types of cess imposed on petroleum products. He accused the central government of taking the cess route so that they can cheat the states of their share in the divisible pool.  On his part, he thundered that he hasn’t increased a single paisa VAT ever since he came to power. The confidence with which he uttered that statement would make you think that it is indeed true. For a moment you will even forget that KCR increased VAT on petrol from 31% to 35.2%; VAT on diesel from 22% to 27.5% in the year 2015. No reporter present there was able to question KCR on this. No media covering the press meet could flash this on their screens. TRS fans on social media were going berserk on SM users who were pointing this out. 

KCR claimed that Telangana is the number 1 state in the country according to various RBI reports and therefore the BJP in the state is in no position to criticize him and his government. He claims that the only three schemes that the centre has given money so far are MNREGA, NHRM and Sarva Siksha Abhiyan. You don’t even have to be a serious student of politics to know that there are many more central government schemes that get implemented all over the country. For the criticism that KCR isn’t utilizing the money the central government is giving, he claimed that the country is running because of the money Telangana is giving. 

KCR’s U-turns are legendary. He called Ayushman Bharat a useless scheme in the Assembly. After about 2 years of calling it a useless scheme, he said that the state will implement Ayushman Bharat. He described the farm laws as honey-coated knives only to implement them in the state. His contrasting responses during COVID times are well documented. So, it will not be a surprise if he takes a U-turn on the VAT and reduces it. 

Yesterday’s press conference (if it can be called that) clearly showed a rattled KCR. It’s been a while for him to have faced strong opposition in the state, despite a largely friendly media. While the nature of the electoral dividends of such a strong opposition will be known only after 2 years, it is clear from his press conference yesterday that he is not going to take criticism by staying calm anymore. 

TRS stronghold Huzurabad goes to BJP: KTR’s immature response, the significance of this victory and the future of BJP in Telangana

The following article was written for OpIndia. Pasting it here for reference:

The lowest electoral point in the 20-year political history of the TRS party was in the year 2009. The party won only 10 seats in the 294 seat Andhra Pradesh Assembly. KCR appointed Eetala Rajender as the floor leader of the TRS legislature party, despite both his son and nephew getting elected as MLAs too. He was the first finance minister of Telangana in the 2014-18 term and then Health minister in the 2nd term. All this clearly signifies the importance of Eetala Rajendar in the TRS scheme of things. He was the most known face outside of the KCR family too. KCR had a fallout with Rajender and removed him from the cabinet at the peak of the 2nd COVID wave (citing corruption in some land deal). 

The fallout was not sudden and was brewing for quite some time, but the removal was quite sudden and the timing totally unexpected. The political scenario in the state heated up with such a senior leader, who held very crucial posts in the party and in the government being unceremoniously sent out. Eetala Rajendar then joined the BJP, which is increasingly being seen as the opposition party that is capable of taking upon the might of the KCR and TRS party. He also quit his assembly seat thereby necessitating this bye-election in Huzurabad, a TRS stronghold.

KCR went all out to stop Eetala Rajendar and the BJP from winning this. He introduced a new scheme called “Dalit Bandhu” in which he promised a whopping Rs. 10 lakh per Dalit family in the state. He announced that he is starting this scheme exclusively in the Huzurabad constituency and launched it with a lot of fanfare, without ironing out the details of the scheme. He then said it is just a matter of time before he extends this to the entire state.

While he was still figuring out how to give this money, the Election Commission passed an order to halt this scheme till the by-election was over. The TRS party, of course, started a campaign that the EC is in the hands of the BJP, but the people weren’t so foolish to believe in that campaign. In fact, the BJP’s victory in this by-election is a slap on the face of those ruling parties that think that merely doling out a cash incentive just a week before the election will fetch them victories! 

Eetala Rajender and the BJP, on their part, stuck to the basics. They campaigned door to door and successfully explained the injustice meted out to Eetala; about the arrogance of KCR and the TRS party; as to why Eetala chose to join the BJP instead of contesting as an independent; and why a vote to the BJP will further strengthen the party as opposed to KCR’s family rule. 

The bye-election result also calls for a discussion on the capability of KCR’s son, Mr K. Tarakarama Rao (KTR). After the stupendous 2018 Assembly victory, KCR appointed his son KTR as the Working President of the party – thereby divesting a lot of authority to his son. Ever since KTR has presided over a snubbing in the 2019 LS election victory; a major loss in the GHMC election; a loss in the all-important Dubbaka bye-election and now the loss in the Huzurabad bye-election. The only victory of significance that KTR has presided over, is the sweep of local body polls in early 2020. In fact, KCR had to personally step in and strategize for the MLC elections and another Assembly by-poll that the TRS won. KTR is a darling of the media, especially the English media. He is also called just a Twitter star because his polished language on Twitter keeps him in the good books of the media. Electoral results on the ground have so far not matched his English language skills

The frustration of KTR is evident in his reaction to the election result this time – “In the last 20 years TRS has seen many highs and lows & this one election result will not be of much significance or consequence”. It is one thing to boost the morale of the cadre by talking about the highs & lows but it’s a whole new level of arrogance to say that “one election result will not be of much significance” when it was quite evident how important his dad thought this poll was! 

There are many such examples of childish responses by KTR to the arguments put forth by the opposition. His most recent reaction to a familiar argument often put forth by the opposition, sums up why the public doesn’t take his arguments serious enough. The opposition often accuses KCR of furthering his family rule over the state (KCR is the CM; his son KTR has multiple portfolios; his nephew Harish Rao is Finance minister; his daughter Kavitha is an MLC; his nephew Santosh is an RS MP and is often seen by his side). KTR’s counter to this argument was that if Telangana is under a family rule, then is India being ruled by Gujaratis? This bye-election result must push the TRS party into introspecting if KTR needs to be given such important roles in the party. 

For the BJP, this victory is another shot in the arm for all the hard work the party has been doing in Telangana. The Congress party is in great self-destruct mode. The BJP has done well to relegate it to 3rd position. The next two years are going to be arduous, and the BJP has to be careful not to repeat a West Bengal scenario. It would really help the party to study the West Bengal scenario and avoid those mistakes here. 

Remember, even with this victory, the BJP still has only 3 seats in the 119-member assembly. It is important for them to get the right political leaders from other parties to expand on their base (For example, Eetala needed the BJP as much as BJP needed him). It is important for them to diversify their message, just like they did in the multiple elections they have won so far. It is also important for them to learn from the defeats they’ve had so far too. KCR isn’t an easy rival to have, though he has shown umpteen times how he is prone to arrogance of power. He still is going to be in power for 2 more years and can change things on the ground. One thing is for sure – the BJP has risen to be a principal opposition to the mighty KCR. The next 2 years are going to be exciting to watch (and participate!). 

Stunning Disclosures of Capt Amarinder Singh’s Resignation Letter which the Media Conveniently Brushed Under the Carpet

 The following article was written for MyInd Makers. Pasting it here for reference. 

As was widely expected, Captain Amarinder Singh resigned from the Congress and has setup a new party. He has sent a 7-page resignation letter to “Acting President”, Sonia Gandhi. Just a couple of weeks after she thundered that she is the “full time President” of the mighty Congress party, we have a powerful Congress leader addressing her as the “Acting President”! However, this is the least stunning aspect in the long letter that the captain has written. While he expectedly points out how he defeated Arun Jaitley in the Modi wave of 2014; how he led Congress to victory in 8/13 seats in the 2019 Modi wave; and how he led the party to various victories in the state assembly elections, there are many stunning revelations in his letter that am very sure the media will brush under the carpet.               

The first stunning disclosure was about how close Manmohan Singh came to dismiss Amarinder Singh’s government in 2005. That a Congress Prime Minister came very close to dismiss a Congress government is simply astounding to hear. Given the penchant of the Congress party to leak such vital information to the media, it is remarkable how this was kept under wraps at that point of time. The media will however ensure that this revelation will be drowned because they can’t afford to show madam in bad light. I can’t help but recollect how the media drowned Dr. Kalam’s revelation that he thought of resigning as President of India over the Bihar fiasco and how Manmohan Singh begged him to stay because if Dr. Kalam resigns then Manmohan Singh will also have to resign. Coming back to the topic, the larger stunning aspect of this disclosure was the petulance of Sonia Gandhi in not giving an appointment to Capt. Amarinder Singh for 9 months during that time! The family’s arrogance is simply unparalleled in this aspect – it just beats me how the President of INC can simply choose to not talk to one of her own Chief Ministers for nine months!

The second stunning disclosure pertains to one of his most “enduring regrets”. He claims that many Congress MLAs and ministers in his own government (and the current government) are utterly corrupt and are involved in the widespread illegal sand mining. His “enduring regret” is that he hasn’t acted against them! This revelation puts to shame Rahul Gandhi’s multiple tweets on corruption. This revelation also very poorly reflects on the captain himself, but it is important to note the First family of the Congress party doesn’t bother about mundane things such as corruption at high places. It infact looks like they encourage such form of corruption to make ends meet for the party at the national level!

The third stunning disclosure is about Sidhu. Though nothing new has been spoken in the letter, but I cannot fathom why the media is silent on these allegations by the captain. They are very very serious in nature because the allegation is that the Punjab Congress president is an “acolyte of the Pakistan deep state”. Has any journalist ever asked the First family of the Congress why they chose to appoint a man of (clearly) an “unstable mind” to such a high position within the party? Captain also highlights the “filthy and abusive language” of Sidhu against him and questions the silence of the entire First family on this. It is indeed intriguing, isn’t it? Rahul Gandhi sends out innocuous tweets on the subject of abuse every now and then. But when it comes to such abuse within the party, that too by people holding high ranking posts, he is conspicuously silent. Why isn’t this hypocrisy ever questioned by our English media?

The fourth stunning disclosure is about the “midnight conspiracy” carried out “at the behest” of Sonia, Rahul, and Priyanka. The language of the captain, in how he addresses the First Family – “you and your children” reveals the deep contempt he has developed towards them. That, such a senior leader has accused the First family of the party of doing contemptuous things in the “dead of the night” must have our media focusing on the nature of how the family operates.

One can simply say that such accusations and language is a common thing to happen when one feels insulted. In that case, the media should stop amplifying the words of mere supporters of the BJP on the social media. We have a two term Chief Minister of the mighty Congress party throwing very serious accusations against a Prime Minister from the Congress party; against the President of the Congress party and against the First Family of the Congress party. However, am very sure that the focus will only be on the captain’s accusations against Sidhu. Because the family needs to be kept away from any negative discussions.