Snippets: Beggars strike in South Delhi

Delhi: Several thousands of beggars from the National Capital Region assembled at the Singh Park here to protest for their right to beg. Several bystanders were totally perplexed by the sheer numbers of the turnout and feared an 'alms-riot' which took a heavy toll on the economy last week. The government is under heavy pressure from the opposition and the Left parties to get this issue over with, since it is consuming more than half the time in the Parliament sessions. Union Minister for Public Affairs, Kuselan, was reported as saying, "This is not the way Rajnikant intended it to be.." under the condition of total anonymity. The Chief Minister of Delhi, Shiela Dixit, requested the citizens of Delhi to stay calm and ensured that this problem will be dealt with immediately after her daughter's birthday celebrations.