| Published on 05-12-2008 In General |
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Written by
Insider |
Wilful captive?
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The Haryana deputy chief minister Chander Mohan has gone missing. He was not in Mumbai earlier this week. The buzz is that Bhajan Lal's son is under some sort of willful captivity. Chander Mohan who stayed on with the Congress when his father and brother left the Congress, has reportedly been hit by a love bug. The deputy chief minister even used his clout to get her appointed as a law officer with Haryana government but her services were recently terminated for lack of efficiency.
In the Congress, there are several precedence of such willful captivity. Few years ago when Narasimha Rao was prime minister and Arjun Singh was leading the banner of revolt, veteran leader Narain Dutt Tiwari had gone 'missing.' Arjun and M.L. Fotedar had accused Rao regime of kidnapping and intimidation but an alert minister for internal security, Rajesh Pilot had traced Tiwari at a guest house in Gajrola in western Uttar Pradesh.
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Welcome interference
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Why did the prime minister take charge of union information and broadcasting ministry when Anand Sharma was given temporary charge to stand in for ailing Priyaranjan Dasmunshi? Manmohan Singh's intervention reportedly came in the wake of minister of state for external affairs taking too much interest in I & B. Among other things, Sharma had reportedly asked close Munshi aide P.P. Singh to 'go home.' PP took up the matter in Congress circles. It may have been a mere coincidence, but in Shastri Bhawan, Manmohan's intervention has been taken with a sense of relief.
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Denied in death
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The sad demise of V.P.Singh failed to attract attention in electronic media. Some prominent English TV news channels even avoided running a scroll. The editors justified it on grounds of their pre-occupation with Mumbai situation. But supporters of V.P.Singh allege malafide intentions to deny the Mandal messiah his due place. According to them, the anti-Mandal lobby did not forgive VP even after his death for enforcing social change.
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Ignorance is bliss?
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When terrorists struck in Mumbai, two Union ministers of state for home remained blissfully unaware of it for a few hours. Sriprakash Jaiswal and Dr Shakil Ahmad were at a wedding of a daughter of their cabinet colleague. Jaiswal, said to be fond of good things in life was seen mixing with guests with a plate that looked more like a kebab platter.
Another round saw him with a plate of biryani consisting of finest basmati rice cooked with tender morsels of chicken in a creamy, spicy blend of onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin and tomatoes. Shakil walking in with a flower bouquet that was so huge that it almost covered the minister. When news of the shoot out began doing rounds, the ministers remained clueless even as lesser mortals speculated if it was some kind of gangwar or stray incident of firing. Apparently, the internal security ministry does not have a mechanism to alert its ministers.
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After campaign time
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When campaigning ended in Chattisgarh and Delhi, senior Congress leaders took their time off in contrasting style. A wheelchair bound Ajit Jogi went to Madhya Pradesh to campaign for the Congress. Kamal Nath rushed back to Udyog Bhawan to clear a mountain of files and chair a dozen meetings a day. Digvijay Singh decided to avoid coming back to Delhi. After spending a day in hometown Raghaogarh, he headed for Rajasthan where electioneering is in full swing. Delhi chief minister Sheila Dixit was spotted in city's Khan Market book store trying to grab as many books on the 'newly arrived' shelves.
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Suspecting anything Urdu!
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The UPA regime is never short of flaunting its concern for minorities and Urdu language. But during the Mumbai crisis, a senior Union minister received a letter written in Urdu. His personal staff was not well versed with the language. But what was more surprising was that the letter found its way to the intelligence bureau where sleuths read it to discover that it was a routine communication from a party worker to the leader.
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Lift-stuck
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Staff and security guards at Haryana Bhawan had a torrid time when the state governor got stranded in the lift. Each time the security guards climbed up to the second floor, the lift moved to the ground but the door did not open. After few minutes of anxiety, the door finally opened with a smiling governor stepping out. The guards too smiled while wiping sweat.
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Maggie in a fix
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Margaret Alva may be down and out, but a section of Congress leaders feel assembly poll verdict will have its final call on the dramatic episode. Alva, they point out has succeeded in forcing some 'drawing room' warriors to poll-bound states. There is a sense that in the event of a poor showing or the verdict going 'Karnataka way', the Congress president will 'reopen' "Alvagate" and fix accountability.
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Infrastructure is the focus
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All eyes are on the outcome of assembly polls on December 8 which have been dubbed as 'semi-finals' but the prime minister is utilizing the time in preparing for the 'final.' The prime minister is summoning individual ministers, particularly those associated with key infrastructure ministries. Manmohan said to strongly feel that a good progress report in these core infrastructure sectors can shore up UPA prospects in 2009 general elections. So its time to focus on infrastructural issues!
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Tailpiece: A SMS doing rounds in Delhi's Raisina Hills says, "Let's hope and pray that new home minister P.Chidambaram is able to terror down the way he managed to bring shares prices down when he was Union finance minister……….!" |
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