Is it even possible to 'forgive and forget'? Not in the Internet Age. This Monday, after a UK court ruled that fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya should be extradited to India, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had patted the Bharatiya Janata Party government on the back. "Great Day for India. No one who cheats India will go scot free," he tweeted. In 24 hours, just when it was becoming clear from reports on television channels that the BJP was going to lose Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, Shahi Tharoor, Congress Lok Sabha MP from Kerala, posted: "Wonderful news pouring in from #Elections2018. In the memorable words of @arunjaitley, "Great Day for India. No one who cheats India will go scot free'." Not so long after, senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said, “2019 will be BJP-mukt Bharat." In December 2013, then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi had tweeted: "Results of 5 states are out and it is clear which way the wind is blowing. It is beginning of Congress-mukt Bharat."
A smiley = 1,000 words
On Sunday afternoon, there was an interesting exchange of emails between former Reserve Bank of India governor Urjit Patel and a member of the Central Board of Directors regarding an invitation extended by the RBI for the LK Jha Memorial Lecture slotted for December 14. The RBI board would meet on the same day and as Patel was supposed to preside over the function. When Central Board member asked Patel if he intended to stay on for the lecture after the board meeting, the former received a brief response — a smiley. The import of that emoticon sunk in 24 hours later.
Faceless win
The comprehensive win of Congress in Chhattisgarh led many on social media to point out an interesting fact: that the strategy of putting up a faceless campaign would have clinched it for the grand old party. The Congress did not put up any chief ministerial face and successfully managed to pocket the tribal and OBC votes. On the other hand, the BJP backed big names including chief minister Raman Singh, one of the poster boys of thethe party nationally.
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