RATHS HAVE been part of the political playbook for a long time, but Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has found another way of using them. Birla will flag off Prasadam Raths from his official residence on Monday. These specially designed vehicles have facilities for cooking food. They will provide hot food to the attendants of patients in six hospitals, including Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital, Lady Harding Hospital in Delhi. Incidentally, these vehicles have been made available by the Speaker.
Heated Exchange
CONGRESS TOP leadership’s decision to nominate Jeby Mather, state president of Mahila Congress, for the Rajya Sabha seat from Kerala has led to an intense exchange on social media in the state. With a section of party leaders slamming former Union minister K V Thomas for his bid to get the nomination, his son Biju Thomas, a banker, has come out in his defence. To a party leader who apparently suggested that lives of senior leaders such as Thomas should sacrificed to save the party, Biju asked whether they would propose the same for Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Biju’s contention was that Sonia and his father are of the same age, Kerala Pradesh Congress president K Sudhakaran is around the same age, and former chief minister Oommen Chandy is elder to them. “Should the elderly be killed? Is that the culture young leaders want us to adopt?†he asked. Incidentally, Thomas shared his son’s post but maintained it was Biju’s personal view. However, his rivals in the party appear to be determined to bring the public outburst to the leadership’s notice.
