Unnecessary noise has been raised in these columns about the perceived plight of a retired  IAS officer staying in an Old Age home. It does not evoke sympathy. Sheer media hype. How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours. It can happen with members of  any service.

Look at the other side of the coin that civil servants are blissfully unaware of. Consider blatant insensitivity of some “serving” civil servants, holding senior positions. Betraying total lack of empathy and gratitude for their old parents. My experience has been heartbreaking. I sometime visit Old age homes in Delhi to provide much-needed company to the aged inmates- some as old as 80 to 90 years. Sharing experiences with them has been exhilirating.

Who are these old parents abandoned by their families ?There are a good number of senior officers of different organized Services ( including Secretaries ), public sector executives (names withheld for obvious reasons) who have lodged their old, ailing parents in old age homes. A paradigm shift has taken place in the attachment relationships between old parents and adult children.

A spy cell, euphemistically called the “ feedback unit” is allegedly functioning under  CM Kejriwal to snoop on top officers of NCT,Delhi, MCD and his political detractors. Retired officers of IB, CBI ,IT etc have reportedly been deployed for carrying out jobs surreptitiously. There have been complaints against their interference in award of contracts to ineligible contractors, inspection of schools and colleges by these “intelligence officers”. Sting operations are common.

The spies owing direct allegiance to CM Delhi, receive remunerations from out of secret funds, created without valid sanction. The expenditure has been kept outside C&AG's purview. Public funds to the extent of Rs 50 lakh have reportedly been spent during past one year CM, Delhi out of his illegal discretionary funds.

Discontentment simmering in bureaucratic circles, may soon reach the flashpoint, as admitted by some NCT officers on condition of anonymity. MHA  is expected to order immediate probe into several  irregularities : (i) Creation of the so-called Feedback unit without cabinet approval; (ii) How appointments were made into the said unit in a hush-hush manner, without inviting  applications and in stark  violation of recruitment rules; (iii) Financial improprieties in deciding remunerations and privileges and incurrence of questionable expenditure and (iv) Misuse of public exchequer for political ends.

MHA, without waiting for findings, must order LG,Delhi to disband  the  so-called  Feedback unit and eliminate incurrence of questionable expenditure.

Kejriwal, the confidence trickster promised : " AAP will  waive house tax for Delhi residents from next fiscal if voted to power in MCD polls." On the contrary, MCD has separately appealed for payment of pending house tax for the last fiscal, latest by 31 st March.2017 so as to avoid penalty. The dichotomy has caused terrible uncertainty in Delhi. Present defaulters are in a bind whether to pay house tax by 31 st March 2017 as appealed by MCD or await waiver if AAP wins in the ensuing MCD elections. Some have decided not to pay house tax for 2017-18, till results are out.

LG Delhi controls both BJP-ruled MCD& AAP-ruled NCT, Delhi.  Clueless and a mute spectator.

The Opposition instead of condemning Gaikward for his delinquent behaviour with Air India staffer, seems more concerned about retention of their own Air travel privileges.

Shivsainiks' brazenness raises suspicion about their brand of nationalism, sorry,sub-nationalism Politicos are shameless creatures , headless chickens, timid, chaos-creators. Country  upholds. The Apex court is urged to take suo moto cognizance of the FIR and teach a lesson to these goons citing violation of Constitutionally guaranteed Equality before Law.

A crucial sociological change is silently taking place in India.

Lonely senior citizens are hiring children/grandchildren through professional agengies for reading newspapers, having conversations,daily chores, visiting doctors etc.

The paid companions, security vetted, charge around Rs 20,000 p.m for spending 2 hours daily and meeting their school/college expenses.

Sufism alone can help Pakistan stem the tide of Talibani fanaticism, intolerance, bigotry and militarism besides building stronger ties with India. Interrogation of two clerics of Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia dargah by the ISI,confirms growing disinterest of Pakistan military and administration on Sufism. Under influence of salafism and wahabism,Pakistan is losing an opportunity to build stronger cultural ties with India.

It has a lot to learn from India.

Supreme Court has ordered the Election Commission to have VVPAT in all elections by 2019.

Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail – prints a paper version of electronic vote.

One trusts,this would satisfy sore loosers : Kejriwal,Mayawati etc who have joined the EVM controversy and are, any way, presiding over the destinies of dying parties.

Let me come straight to the point. No preface.

Why did  SC not issue a non-bailable warrant against Justice Karnan for contempt in the first instance?

If the wayward Judge fails to appear on 31st March,2017, would the Apex court order his immediate arrest and personal appearance?

Should SC not recommend immediate impeachment proceedings against the contemnor for failing to uphold the dignity of the highest court first by raising caste card then slamming the Chief Justice, Madras HC, SC judges and CJI ?

Why is he being treated as a celebrity despite insult to the Apex court ?

The common Indian is feeling discriminated against.

Whither the Constitutionally guaranteed Right to Equality before the Law?

Congress’s setbacks in assemblies’ elections should be attributed to its total disconnect with the masses and ground realities. Outsourcing election campaign to a private advertising agency was ill-advised.Hightech publicity does not impress voters. They are intelligent enough to see through the game. Neither naïve nor gullible. Dynasty-centric old guards of the Congress , instead of serving as doormats to dynastic overlords , must stop cult-worship. This perpetuated authoritarianism, bereft of intra-party democracy. Absence of effective Opposition is not healthy in a democratic polity.

Let me come straight to the point.

No preface. Could SC not issue a non-bailable warrant against Justice Karnan for contempt in the first instance?

If the wayward Judge fails to appear on 31st March,2017, would the Apex court order his immediate arrest and personal appearance?

Should SC not recommend immediate impeachment proceedings against the contemnor for failing to uphold the dignity of the highest court first by raising caste card then slamming the Chief Justice, Madras HC, SC judges and CJI ?

Why is he being treated as a celebrity despite insult to the Apex court ?

The common Indian is feeling discriminated against. Whither the Constitutionally guaranteed Right to Equality before the Law?