It’s shaping up as a busy weekend for India’s politicians…
The price of LPG — liquefied petroleum gas cylinders, or cooking gas — has risen 11.42 rupees per cylinder because dealers are getting higher commissions. TV channels attacked the government because this “shocker” comes right after the imposition of a cap on subsidized cylinder sales was imposed.
Bharatiya Janata Party politician Smriti Irani said the party will hold a nation-wide protest on Oct. 12, saying the higher prices are “anti-women”. This is presumably because they do more of the daily cooking than men, whose potential inversely proportional waistline shrinkage could be in their favour.
We all know who the main attraction is on news channels nowadays: social activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal. Here are the pots that he’s stirring: Accusing Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, and DLF, India’s top listed real estate developer, of being involved in shady deals which could have favoured Vadra. Vadra has replied, as has the DLF. Short story: they committed no illegal acts. Protesting against higher electricity prices in New Delhi. He then restored an electricity connection himself, which of course is illegal.
Kejriwal is keeping others busy too. The BJP is supporting Kejriwal, while Congress politicians are doing their best to defend Vadra.
Meanwhile, the BJP and Congress have lashed out at rural development minister Jairam Ramesh for his comment that there are more temples in the country than toilets (Is there a sharp and obsessive-compulsive statistician out there who can tell us if it’s true?). They’ve said he should not make such statements because they hurt “fine fabric of faith and religion” in the country.
