Delhi's chatterati, who always need something more than just fried peanuts with their gin and tonic, are abuzz these days with the latest canapes: the Modi government's hostile takeover of Gymkhana Club. It's not a done deal yet, but rest assured that our higher judiciary, with judgments like Ram Mandir, SIR, Umar Khalid, Aravallis, Hindenburg/SEBI, Pegasus, etc. under its belt, will finally approve non-passive euthanasia for  this last watering hole for the drones of south Delhi.

No one, of course, believes the reason cited by the government itself for the action, viz, that the 27 acres is needed for security/ defence purposes: this is the default position of the government for all decisions which push the boundaries of legality and/ or good sense.

Hence, there is much feverish speculation about the real motives for this surgical strike: the club's administrative and financial mess, non-payment of dues to the government, turning the entire area into a semi-militarised zone so that a Bangladesh, Nepal or 6 January type of incident never happens, fear of the Cockroach Janta Party, a real-estate operation which will ultimately benefit the Melody-loving leader's cronies. 

But all this assumes that this government acts rationally, which past decisions do not bear out. I have, therefore, a different take which matches the leopard's spots, as it were.

The BJP is a party which is founded on, and survives on, myths — past, present and future. It originates from the myths of ancient India — our epics, 'akhand Bharat', the existence of plastic surgery,........

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