WHEN a Government resorts to gimmicks that a Government must avoid at any cost, it signals the beginning of the end for the faulty dispensation. The tri-partite arrangement of power in Maharashtra, shared by Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress, displayed its mental bankruptcy on Monday by resorting to one such tactics which was rightly rejected by the people of the State. It won’t be an exaggeration to term the Maha Vikas Aaghadi (MVA) Government’s call of ‘Maharashtra Bandh’ to protest deaths of eight people in Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh, as a ridiculous self-goal. How can a ruling coalition shut down its own State and then allow its rogue elements to vandalise properties that belong to the State itself? It was an imbecile move by the MVA partners which led to nothing but making a fool of themselves. Such things happen when some power-drunk people prioritise their political rivalry over people’s welfare and convince themselves that the right to protest, granted by the Constitution, is their absolute right. Public always cuts such people to size without any fuss like what Maharashtra’s janata did to the MVA bluff.

 

 

CELLULOID world usually reserves fairy-tale ending for a protagonist’s last quest for redemption. That is the biggest difference between reel and real life! Virat Kohli experienced it with a brutal thud in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as his last-ditch effort to win a title fell flat in the Emirates sands. The king, who was on the way out, has to tread the further path without a crown. That’s the difficult truth of sports which spares none. Kohli’s last IPL stint, as captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore, ended with a painful loss to Kolkata Knight Riders in the eliminator leaving another box unticked. He was desperate to correct the big wrong but failed yet again when his team loaded with superstars once again flopped at a crucial time. But then, as they say, a team is as good as the captain. Kohli never denied the truth but also could never change it. It is one pricking stab he has to carry all his playing life. Yet, one last chance towards glory still awaits the champion batsman. He is set to lead the Indian Twenty20 team for one last time in the World T20 Championship, which again has remained elusive for Kohli. One hopes the lady luck finally smiles on the outgoing Indian captain. The King deserves a crown!