Outlook English - Print Subscribers Copy Outlook English, 07 May 2018 | Page 12
deep throat
QUID PRO QUO
During his UK visit, the PM is
believed to have discussed the
extradition of fugitive Vijay
Mallya with his counterpart,
Theresa May. Sources say that
May responded positively but
wants a tit-for-tat. The UK has
several pending extradition
requests with India, but is
concerned with expediting one
in particular: Aman Vyas, who
is wanted in the UK for several
counts of sexual assault and
murder. His crimes date to
2009, when he was in the UK
on a student visa. The ext
radition request has been
pending since 2011. We hear
that diplomatic channels of
both countries are seriously
working on the exchange deal.
HECKLERS’ HISTORY
As Kashmiri expatriates in the
US confronted former CM Omar
Abdullah at UC Berkeley and one
even called him a “war criminal”,
Omar took the abuse calmly,
saying it was just 45 seconds
of an interaction that went on
for over an hour. But National
Conference spokesman Junaid
Azim Mattu had a different
response, tracing the antecedents
of Berkeley protesters in Srinagar.
He claims that one of the
“Berkeley hecklers” is the son of
an NC worker who sought asylum
in the US in the 1990s by claiming
that his life was under threat from
militants in Kashmir. Another one
is an absconder, evading arrest in
Pak-occupied Kashmir on criminal
charges of child kidnapping. Omar,
meanwhile, is busy posting his pic-
tures of cycling in San Francisco.
FAMILY MATTERS LESS
The cold war between
Sasikala’s brother Dhivakaran
and her nephew TTV
Dhinakaran has turned hot.
Dhivakaran described TTV’s
new party, AMMK, as a mush-
room with a short lifespan.
TTV hit back, saying his party
was more important than a few
relatives and he would expel
them if needed. Exploiting this,
the ruling AIADMK is offering
Dhivakaran’s son Jeyanand a
key party post. Dhivakaran in
turn has offered the support of
seven rebel MLAs currently
with TTV. Poor Sasikala is in no
position to intervene. With
restrictions in jail having been
tightened, Chinnamma has
reason to be further depressed.
OVERHEARD Rahul Gandhi is unlikely to declare CM candidates for poll-bound Rajasthan and
Madhya Pradesh, considering the pulls and pressures from senior state leaders.
12 OUTLOOK 7 May 2018