Congress finds it hard to appease rebel candidates in Madhya Pradesh polls

All in the air

Congress is finding it difficult to appease rebel candidates in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh. Veteran party leader and chief of the coordination committee Digvijaya Singh (pictured) has the tough task of reaching out and pacifying them. But he seems to be meeting with little success. In a recent episode, Singh reportedly tried to speak to rebel candidate Pratap Singh Uikey from Ghoradongri constituency (Betul) on the phone, but as soon as Uikey realised who was on the other side, he disconnected the call. It happened twice, we are told. The party has adopted a new strategy: The leaders are being assured plum posts within the party and/or nomination to the legislative council. Although Madhya Pradesh has no legislative council, the Congress has vowed in its manifesto that it will create one.  

A new disease 

Congress leader and member of Parliament Pramod Tiwari has detected a new disease that is triggered by the election season. He calls it mandiraitis. The reference is to the Ram mandir issue that has come back to grab headlines ahead of the Lok Sabha polls scheduled for 2019. Speaking at an event in Indore, Tiwari said, “Whenever the elections come, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders start suffering from mandiraitis. Their party is ruling the country for the last four and a half years. Why didn't it start constructing the temple? They talk about mandir only when elections loom.”

Food for thought

Guests at an event organised by IHH Healthcare, which has taken over Fortis Healthcare, were taken by surprise when they found a non-vegetarian dish prepared with meatballs sitting on the buffet table as part of the lunch spread. Many Fortis employees recalled how, under the previous owners, members of the staff were prohibited from bringing non-vegetarian food from home. In fact, some said, even doctors were urged not to prescribe eggs to patients and suggest a vegetarian alternative instead. As an employee quipped, the IHH takeover wasn't just a change of guard, but represented a change of menu as well.