| Published on 15-07-2008 In General |
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UNPA---losing leaders
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The UNPA is running out its leaders. First Jayalalithaa was appointed as its chairperson but by the time, the 'third front' gang met for the second time, Jaya was replaced by Mulayam Singh Yadav. Now that Mulayam Singh has been shown the door, the newly appointed leader Om Prakash Chautala is waiting in the wings. Indications are that INLD chief known to be an astute weathercock may tilt towards right. If that happens, it will leave Chandrababu Naidu with all the opportunities to be the flag-bearer of the third force without a challenger. The question that is already doing rounds in Raisina Hills is for how long Babu would last…..
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Speakership---Part of deal?
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After the pull out, glare is on the Lok Sabha Speaker's chair. Somnath Chatterjee is said to be disillusioned with the job and trying to persuade the party to permit him to step down. In the Congress circles, prospects of a vacant chair have got many interested in the job. Leading the pack is party MP and AICC general secretary Kishore Chandra Deo. The four-time Lok Sabha member fancies his chances counting on his clean image and proximity to 10, Janpath. The catch is the Speaker's post becoming part of a deal over a deal or any other side deal.
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Moily's "uncivilized" Faux Pas
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AICC's media department chairman Veerappa Moily likes to be politically correct. But at times, he goes astray. Blame it to emotions or something, Moily was heard dubbing a neighbouring country as 'uncivilized' hours after the Left announced withdrawal of support to Manmohan regime. Moily lamented about the Left saying such a behaviour was not expected in a civilized country like India when the head of the state was out of the country. He followed it up with a reference to a neighbouring country notorious for coup and political instability. When an alert scribe asked Moily if the country named by him was indeed 'uncivilized,' Moily checked himself rephrasing his remark as the country and other uncivilized nations….
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Deora's nightmares
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Union petroleum minister Murli Deora is looking extremely grim and down cast these days. Deora, under attack from 'king-maker' Amar Singh, has started viewing every political development with wariness. When Maharashtra Congress chief Prabha Rau was named as Governor of Himachal Pradesh, Deora camp feared that the vacancy in Mumbai may see him being shunted out as organization chief in Maharashtra. But age and caste-equations do not favour Deora as MPCC chief. Moreover, there are other aspirants too. Deora's cabinet colleague Sushil Kumar Shinde is more than keen to return to the home state.
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Brains behind the deal within deal
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Even days after n-deal getting sealed in M-deal, Congressmen are still wondering how and why AICC chief Sonia Gandhi opted for Mulayam Singh Yadav and Amar Singh as her 'long-term allies.' The mystery is now getting solved with Rahul Gandhi emerging as an architect.
The young Gandhi is reported to have prevailed upon Sonia to consider Samajwadis in place of the Left. Rahul is said to have offered his services to deal with Amar Singh for crucial UP alliance negotiations. A section of Congressmen is now busy trying to find Rahul's source of influence. Was it Captain Satish Sharma who has a brother in USA, they wonder?
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Mixing up names
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Amar Singh is the man of the moment and Congressmen of all hue and shades are suddenly warming up to him. The Samajawadi Party general secretary recently met Kamal Nath. The duo recalled their ties to Calcutta. Nath, a quick wit, is said to have joked that he always viewed Amar as one keen to strengthen the Congress against communal forces. The reference was to an event in 2002 when Nath was AICC general secretary in charge of poll-bound Gujarat and sent a missive to then GPCC chief Amar Singh Chowdhary. The otherwise agile staff of Nath did a mix-up and the communication landed up at Samajawadi Party leader's desk. Amar had quickly responded to Nath's suggestion of organizing a Sonia Gandhi rally, provided the Congress leadership approves of it.
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Wheeling dealing with numbers
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Delhi is busy with the number game with firm indications that Dr. Manmohan Singh will prove his majority in parliament. But for some odd reasons, the centre of action is not 24, Akbar Road that houses the Congress headquarters but a five-star hotel in posh Connaught Circus. The smaller group of independent MPs is seen coming and leaving but the usual crowd of khadi-topi is missing.
In fact, there is considerable mystery over identity of persons acting as trouble-shooters. Priyaranjan Dasmunshi is in hospital while AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh is busy serving tea to scribes in his Akbar Road office. Union parliamentary affairs minister Vayalar Ravi is too new for his assignment and two of his deputies --- Pawan Bansal and V. Narayanswamy are considered too much of lightweights to handle any serious political task. Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda is said to have declined meeting Bansal and insisted that he would not settle for anything less than 'one-to-one' with 'Madame Gandhi.' His wish was fulfilled fast.
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Turbaned heads' dilemmas
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Will it be heart or the head? The Akali Dal faces an acid test in deciding about n-vote. Apparently, most Akali MPs hearts go for Dr Manmohan Singh but their head is with the NDA. The Akali Dal leadership is caught in a dilemma as collectively eight Lok Sabha MPs feel that a Sikh prime minister should not be let down. Besides, they are busy calculating the possible gains accruing from the nuclear power supply for Punjab which they think would help the state surmount its power crisis.
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Tailpiece
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Union minister of state for commerce and industry Jairam Ramesh recently inaugurated a conference: "CORPORATE ENGAGEMENT IN REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS. LET'S MAKE IT HAPPEN!!"
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