On the poll track
Quite obviously, the all-party meeting called by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee to discuss the Railway Budget on Friday was no routine pre-Budget consultation exercise. It follows on the heels of the prime minister’s suggestion that the time had come to revise railway passenger fares.



Concocting enemies
The list of ‘‘anti-national activities’’ in this country gets longer. A new addition has come to light in the rubble of Kutch thanks to Nalin Bhat. He is a senior BJP leader and it is a wonder how even in the midst of death and catastrophe, and with his heavy responsibilities as chairman of the state electricity board, he manages to keep a sharp eye open for ‘‘anti-national’’ mischief.



Love that dare not speak
‘‘Religion is for those who believe in Hell. Spirituality is for those who have been there.’’ Makes sense, doesn’t it? The smug, the unquestioning, the ones who have never practised the detoxifying and necessary habit of ijtihad, or independent thinking, are bound to believe in Hell.



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