Chandigarh and its citizens have a special reason to rejoice--like their representative in the Lok Sabha: Pawan Kumar Bansal, Union Minister of State for Finance. The city, which is a Union Territory and continues to be the capital of Punjab and Haryana, today has the highest per capita income and vehicles in the country, according to the District Census handbook, released by Bansal on Monday last. (Every household has two or more vehicles.) Chandigarh also leads in maximum usage of clean fuel in the country. What is more, it is now acknowledged as "the most popular marketing research and launch destination". Nevertheless, all is not honky dory for the city whose population is bursting at its seams and is expected to double in 20 years. It has the worst sex ratio in the world: 777 females per 1,000 males. The ratio further dips if the sex ratio of the slums, 926 females for 1,000 males, is excluded. The city's urban sex ratio then drops to 500 females for 1,000 males!

TN-Karnataka Water Crisis

The water issue between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka is on the boil yet again. Passions were aroused on Tuesday last in Karnataka no sooner than Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's utterances that the drinking water project at Hogenakkal, along Cauvery river, would go ahead come what may. Cinema halls showing Tamil films came under instant attack in Karnataka and Tamils Sangam at Ulsoor in Bangalore. Tamil Nadu Assembly soon reacted and passed a resolution asking the Centre to intervene and "maintain the sovereignty and integrity of the nation." It also wanted the lives and properties of Tamils in Karnataka protected. Meanwhile, protests are snowballing over the issue in both the States-- the film industry in Tamil Nadu has decided to protest with a day-long fast on Friday, whereas activists in Karnataka have called for a bandh on April 10. Karunanidhi has a smooth explanation for the latest row: "Tamils are anathema to some linguistic fanatics in Karnataka. It has become their full time job to hate us. First they said no water for our crops, now they say no to even drinking water ..." But Karnataka has its view, strong and uncompromising.

Orissa Speaker resigns

The Orissa Assembly has created murky history for all the wrong reasons. Its Speaker, Maheshwar Mohanty, resigned on Monday last following allegations of sexual harassment and a stormy demand by the opposition for his ouster and an independent probe by either a High Court judge or the CBI. Last week a woman assistant marshal in the Assembly, Gayatri Panda, had gone public and filed an FIR alleging that the Speaker was persistently harassing her and even persuading her through his staff to have a sexual relationship with him. Mohanty, for his part, dismissed the charges as "baseless and part of a conspiracy" and went on to resign "to protect the office of the Speaker." While the truth whether a third party is involved will be known only after the State Human Rights Commission, gives its report, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has already given Mohanty a clean chit. In fact, he has sacked his Information and Public Relations Minister, Debasis Nayak, for allegedly instigating Gayatri to hurl the charges. This dimension too is being probed, adding intrigue to the goings on in the Assembly.

Mayawati hits back

Mind your language, is the latest bolt from UP Chief Minister Mayawati to her many opponents. The first to receive the warning is none less than the Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Mahender Singh Tikait. On Monday last, Tikait was charged with having used derogatory language against the Dalit leader and a woman at a rally in Bijnore on Sunday and found himself slapped with a case under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act. Orders were issued for his arrest as such crimes constitute a cognizable offence. The police, however, failed to carry out the orders. Tikait's supporters, numbering about 1,500, in his village Sisauli prevented it from doing so. The two sides clashed for over 18 hours, leaving 25 policemen and two farmers injured. While Tikait has now agreed to surrender, Mayawati's "intolerance" has sparked an anti-BSP mobilization. The Samajwadi Party has supported Tikait arguing that nothing objectionable was said and that Mayawati "uses worse language". The Congress has chosen to tread carefully, saying it would ascertain facts. Meanwhile, some in the BJP have decided to join Tikait's rallies. After all, jat votes matter.