| Published on 04-09-2008 In General |
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Written by
Insider |
Maya's induction ways
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The inclusion of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati in Forbes list of 100-most powerful women has faced no criticism from the Indian political class cutting across party lines. Even her worst opponents have a sneaking admiration for Maya mem sahib and it's not without reason. Raisina Hill is agog with whispers how the BSP supremo extracted a prize from habitual fence-sitters. When a leader from Congress and the BJP knocked at her door, she readily inducted them but hours before their entry into Bahujan Samaj, the duo was asked to transfer some of their worldly gains to the cause of Bahujan Samaj. The timing was such that there was no scope for reconsideration or bargaining. The property papers are said to be safely locked in some locker sealing the party-hoppers' next destination.
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Season of strife in Bollywood too
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Is it a phase of losing patience? It is not just that people from Jammu, Kashmir to Kandhamal where people are living on short fuse but Bollywood too is witnessing too many verbal duels too frequently.
Days after the famous titanic war of words between Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan at Katrina Kaif's birthday party, another big showdown has reportedly taken place in B-Town involving old buddies Sunil Shetty and Sanjay Dutt.
The men reputed to spend considerable time in gym had heated exchange over Shetty's under production film EMI, which has Sanju baba making a special appearance. Apparently, Sanjay wants his part to be shot following his change in appearance. He reportedly feels he looks rather plump in the film. When Shetty conceded, Sanjay reportedly did not show up. A media interaction to promote EMI had to be called off because of Sanjay's no-show.
Industry insiders said Shetty then went to meet Sanju baba at a dubbing studio where they fought. Requests for cooperation and fresh dates to finish the project fell on deaf ears. Heated exchanges followed but before the two sides could take out their shirts or come to blows, the visitor was safely escorted out.
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N-Deal Blame Game begins
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Delhi is witnessing some anxious moments. The gung-ho over smooth passage of N-deal is turning into panic situation. South bloc mandarins who were gloating following July 22 parliament trust vote have now sobered down. The hiccups at Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) were initially taken lightly but now the mood among foreign affairs officials is shifty. A section of it is pointing an accusing finger at the United States for not "doing enough" to make opposing countries fall in line. Another school of thought blames a group of ministers who were supposed to travel and work on specific countries. Some of these ministers and top functionaries reportedly failed to fan across the globe.
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Choosing School for the Gandhi-Vadra kids
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Rahul Gandhi was in Bangalore recently in company of his sister and brother in law. The mission was strictly private. The Gandhis and Vadras were said to be in Bangalore to look for a place for Rehan and Meira in Rishi Valley School run by J. Krishnamurthy Foundation. While the school authorities and Gandhi-Vadra families are extremely tight-lipped about the visit and its purpose, Congresswallahs in Bangalore and Delhi were heard admiring Rahul Baba for his devotion to family values. Almost with a sense of flattery, they were heard saying how a caring Rahul left his important assignments and appointments to be with his nephew and niece on a significant mission of their lives.
Rishi Valley School consisting of specially chosen 360 boarding wards is known to provide a distinctive educational environment that enables young persons to grow not only in intellectual capacities, but also in other dimensions of their being.
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Moral Policing of the BJP spokesman
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BJP Spokesman Prakash Javdekar is on the defensive. The spokesman's visit to a corporate function in Indore has landed him in trouble with the moral police of Sangh parivar sharpening their knives.
Trouble began when photographs of Javdekar were prominently published in local Hindi newspapers in which he was seen shaking champagne bottle. The opposition Congress quickly dubbed him a devil describing him as "the real face of the BJP—a party with a difference." MPCC spokesman Manak Aggarwal accused the BJP of speaking about the nation's deep rooted culture in the morning and in the evening party leaders gulping glasses of liquor.
Madhya Pradesh BJP's chief of disciplinary committee Kailash Sarang is almost one with the Congress. He claims that Javdekar's indulgence has sullied the image of party when assembly polls are less than three months away and said to have briefed LK Advani and the BJP president Rajnath Singh.
Javdekar was heard insisting that it was merely "fruit champagne" that he held and drank.
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Problems galore for the Khurshids
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As a popular Hindi proverb goes, problems do not come alone. Uttar Pradesh Congress leader Salman Khurshid is suddenly in trouble from various quarters. He has been removed as president of a prominent educational institution chain – Delhi Public School. For years, Salman had worked hard to bring DPS as a place for excellence so the expulsion came as a rude shock. The management gave a parting gift to him accusing him of indulging in anti-DPS activities.
In Delhi's political circles, news of Salman's fall from grace is seen in proportion of his political stocks taking a nosedive. As Congress-Samajwadi Party inches closer to seat-sharing in UP, Salman's hometown Farrukhabad and Qaimgunj are likely to go to ally's kitty. SP general secretary Amar Singh has been a known Salman basher and is said to have worked hard to net Farrukhabad.
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Jamiat wooing
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The split in Jamiat-e-Ulema, Hind continues to divide the non-BJP political parties. Initially, the Congress had sided with the 'winning' side throwing its lot with Rajya Sabha MP Mahmood Madni's group. But somewhere down the line, the party realized that Madni was too worldly wise for its liking and his proximity to Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Ajit Singh and others became a cause for worry. Last heard, the Congress managers have begun propping up Arshad Madni group and two prominent in-house lawyers Abhishek Singhvi and Salman Khurshid are said to be assisting Arshad Madni in the protracted legal battle.
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Jinnah row continues
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The row over Jinnah house is refusing to die down. After Daughter Dina Wadia sought claim over prime Mumbai Malabar Hill bungalow, grand nephew Mohammad Rajabally Ebrahim, 72 has filed a plea in Mumbai high court as a claimant. Son of Ashraf, daughter of Jinnah's sister Mariam, Ebrahim is staking claim on grounds that Government of India has no right to 'squat' after the repeal of Displaced Persons (DP) act in 2005. Jinnah house was reportedly acquired by the government under DP Act for the public purpose of rehabilitating and compensating persons displaced during the partition.
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Capital woes for women
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Ever wondered how many public toilets for women exist in Delhi? 132, according to an authentic report presented in the Delhi high court recently.
The physical verification has been conducted by a young, final year economics student of Lady Shri Ram College (LSR) Shahana Sheikh who has painstakingly prepared a report "Public toilets in Delhi—An emphasis on the facilities for women in slum areas" as part of her summer internship with Centre for Civil Society (CCS).
The report mocks Delhi Municipal Corporations' claim that there are 3192 public toilets. She discovered that the actual figure is 1534. A Delhi high court bench consisting of justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice S. Muralidhar has asked DMC to take a note of Shahana's findings and recommendations. |
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