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Buzz | Rooting for cassava cultivation
Urging farmers to begin with one acre each under Cassava cultivation as a pilot initiative, Rana Gurjeet said he would take full responsibility for supporting them at every step
After promising to purchase the maize crop for his ethanol plants at the minimum support price (MSP), Congress MLA from Kapurthala Rana Gurjeet Singh, along with his son, Sultanpur Lodhi MLA Rana Inder Partap Singh, has now come up with another idea – the cultivation of “Cassava”, a typical south India crop, in Punjab. Urging farmers to begin with one acre each as a pilot initiative, Rana Gurjeet said he would take full responsibility for supporting them at every step, adding that it could provide an alternative to traditional water-guzzling paddy cultivation in the state. However, officials at Punjab Agricultural University remained tight-lipped about the two MLAs’ proposal. A senior PAU official said “Sometimes, it is better not to respond to such developments.” The Congress leader’s earlier proposal of purchasing maize directly from farmers at MSP had not gone well with his opponents, who termed it an attempt to invite privatisation in the agricultural sector for vested interests. Rana Gurjeet had also credited himself for promoting direct seeding of rice (DSR) with the support of PAU across Punjab in 2007.
Mann’s college crush
A video circulating on social media shows chief minister Bhagwant Mann addressing a gathering during International Women’s Day in Ludhiana on Saturday, where he recalled a humorous incident from his college days involving a one-sided crush on a classmate. Mann joked that he and his friends had little sense of dressing or style, leaving them with “no chance” of impressing any girl. He said that in front of his friends he would refer to the most beautiful girl in the class as their “bhabhi” and quietly make remarks in the group based on the colour of her dress, while the girl remained unaware of it. The situation changed when she eventually found out and reprimanded him, even warning that she could have him expelled since the college principal was a close friend of her father. Mann said he stopped pursuing the matter after that incident. Years later, after he gained popularity through his comedy audio cassettes, he was invited to a college reunion where the same woman welcomed him with flowers. Mann said he jokingly told her that had she not scolded him back then, she might have been accompanying him today, drawing laughter from the audience as he narrated the anecdote.
Warring’s daughter hops on protest bandwagon
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring’s daughter Ekam Warring led the protest of party’s women activists against the budget in Chandigarh. Ekam, 19, was detained along with others while demanding disbursement of ₹48,000 as arrears to each Punjabi woman in accordance with the AAP’s pre-poll promise to extend a monthly grant of ₹1,000 to them. In the past, she has been seen actively participating during the electioneering for her father, who is MP from Ludhiana, and her mother, Amrita Warring, who had unsuccessfully contested the Gidderbaha bypoll. It was the first time she was spotted leading a Congress protest, and the young woman impressed all with her oratory skills.
Of Saini & his stamina
Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini’s stamina for marathon replies in the assembly has become a source of both irritation and grudging praise from the principal Opposition, the Congress. While opening its assault on the budget estimates presented by Saini, Congress fielded its old warhorse, Raghuvir Singh Kadian. But before beginning the customary criticism, Kadian acknowledged what he described as the CM’s impressive stamina. Saini stood for three hours and nine minutes--without taking a break--while presenting budgetary proposals. With a hint of admiration, Kadian praised Saini’s “energy levels” more than once. After acknowledging Saini’s stamina, Kadian turned his attention towards the team behind the document and quipped that the team had done a commendable job by “juggling the data” to save its skin.
Cong’s RS pick surprises one and all
In Himachal Pradesh, the Congress’s choice of Anurag Sharma as its Rajya Sabha candidate, ignoring several party heavyweights, surprised not only many party leaders but even the candidate himself. A Congress MLA remarked, “After the list was released, I had to do a Google search to find out who Anurag is.” Sharma also said that after he received a call about his selection, he thought some was playing a prank on Holi. “It took a while for reality to sink in,” he added. Sharma has been elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from the state.
(Contributed by Tarsem Singh Deogan, Navrajdeep Singh, Vishal Joshi, Pawan Sharma and Shailee Dogra)
