New Delhi: It’s not just journalists who are wary of access control in the under-construction central government offices at Kartavya Bhavan, which will be ready by mid-2027. With entry to the swanky building controlled by smart access cards that can track a visitor’s every move, even civil servants are sceptical of being under “surveillance” 24×7.
The interiors of Kartavya Bhawan, designed like most modern corporate offices with open floor plans, are installed with hi-tech gadgets including multiple CCTVs in every nook and corner, which will track movements of officials as well as visitors day in and day out. A central command room has been built, where all movement will be monitored.
A senior secretary-level civil servant compared it to a kind of “mini surveillance state”. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has of course brushed off all such concerns and said this is a prerequisite in all modern offices in today’s times from a security point of view.
Kartavya Bhavan was inaugurated earlier this week by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. So far, just one of the 10 buildings has been completed with the Ministry of Home Affairs shifting to the new premises last week. The petroleum and rural development ministries will follow suit in the next couple of weeks.
Mamata’s rebuke to Kirti Azad
Earlier this week, Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee resigned as the party’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha after West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, while presiding over a meeting of party MPs, expressed displeasure at the performance of its contingent in the Lower House.
At the meeting, however, Mamata had stern words not only for Kalyan Banerjee, but also for cricketer-turned-MP Kirti Azad. Azad, who represents the Bardhaman-Durgapur seat, had last month written to the Centre seeking a CBI and ED probe into alleged irregularities in Eastern Coalfields Limited.
Although he withdrew the letter on 2 August, Mamata, it is learnt, raised the matter at the meeting without naming him. She pointedly reminded the MPs that taking such major steps without the leadership’s consent, or even keeping them informed, is not how the Trinamool functions.
Pawar family’s reunion beyond politics
While talks of a political reunion of uncle-nephew Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar may have died down, personal relations between the two sides of the Pawar family seem to have definitely improved. Last year, the family underwent bitter turmoil with the political bitterness between the Sharad Pawar-led NCP and Ajit Pawar-led NCP spilling over into the household.
First, Ajit Pawar fielded his wife Sunetra against his cousin Supriya Sule in the Lok Sabha polls from Baramati parliamentary constituency, compelling the extended Pawar family to pick sides in the campaign. Later, in the state assembly polls that year, Sharad Pawar decided to field his grand-nephew Yugendra Pawar against Baramati MLA Ajit Pawar, once again making it a Pawar vs Pawar fight. Yugendra is Ajit Pawar’s sibling’s son, and hence the direct contest between the two pinched both sides even more.
However, earlier this week, the entire family came together to celebrate Yugendra’s engagement to Tanishka Kulkarni in Mumbai. Ajit Pawar attended along with his wife Sunetra and sons Parth and Jay. They also posed for a family picture, standing in the same frame as Sharad Pawar, his wife Pratibha, his daughter Sule and so on.
Curious case of Siddaramaiah’s birthday
On 3 August, scores of political leaders and Congress party workers wished Siddaramaiah on his 77th birthday. Siddaramaiah too acknowledged the wishes. But according to the government’s official records, Siddaramaiah was born on 12 August 1948 and not 3 August. Siddaramaiah’s birthday is a recurring confusion every year and the CM himself has stated that neither is correct.
“It’s become kind of a routine to celebrate it on August 3. The CM also has stopped clarifying this,” a close aide of Siddaramaiah said. In an interview a couple of years ago, Siddaramaiah publicly acknowledged that his birthday is not what the records show. “Because I got admitted directly to 5th grade, it’s the date written down by the teacher and according to school records. It’s five to six months off from that date,” he said.
Shinde-Aaditya encounter
On the occasion of Narli Purnima, a festival celebrated by the Koli community in Mumbai, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Worli MLA Aaditya Thackeray came face to face in a small lane. Both went to the same place at the same time to celebrate the festival with the Kolis. It was just a matter of five minutes but the police had a tough time keeping party workers of both factions in control. Aaditya Thackeray was visibly angry and kept staring at Shinde while Shinde crossed him and went to the other side.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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