Kamal Nath plans to open 1,000 cow shelters in MP ahead of Lok Sabha polls

Adopt a cow

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath was reportedly aghast that there were not many government-run cow shelters in a state that was ruled by the BJP for 15 years. He told a gathering, "Nare to khoob lagate hain — pandra saal aise hi nikal diye." (They spout many slogans, but did little over the last 15 years.) To make good, Nath has proposed a scheme under which ordinary people of the state can adopt a cow. The idea is to open at least 1,000 cow shelters in the state by May this year. The proposed adoption will ensure economic viability of these shelters. According to an estimate, the government will spend Rs 450 crore to build these shelters.

On a wing and a prayer

Chairman of trouble-hit Zee group Subhash Chandra last week urged investors to defeat the “negative forces” by buying shares of Zee and Dish TV following a sharp slide in their value. The plea raised many eyebrows as promoters do not often ask people to buy shares in their companies. “Instead of asking people to buy its shares, the Zee group chief should have asked them to subscribe to their channels amid the uncertainty created by Trai's new policy,” said an analyst. Aimed at transparency, the new broadcasting guidelines give users more leeway to choose channels they prefer.­

Naidu takes the lead

It seems Telugu Desam Party President N Chandrababu Naidu has taken it upon himself to iron out the remaining differences between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress for the sake of the mahagathbandhan. He was in Delhi last Friday and met both Congress President Rahul Gandhi and AAP Convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. He said there is a "democratic compulsion" for all the Opposition parties to come together; however, "the political compulsion of each party at the state-level must be taken into account" while forming a united force before the Lok Sabha polls. His statement assumes significance because an alliance between the AAP and the Congress is yet to materialise as both sides continue to attack one another and assert they would be going solo for the upcoming polls.