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Common Line
Delhi: When Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee called an all-party meeting
on the Kargil issue at his residence, he didn't expect the seating order to create
discomfort for some. Sharad Pawar's NCP and the Congress were seated side by side and the
cold war was only to be expected. When someone pointed it out to Vajpayee, the prime
minister walked up to them and asked if another bus diplomacy was needed to bring them
together. The thaw achieved, the discussions began. As party after party berated Defence
Minister George Fernandes' contradictory statements on the Kargil developments, the BJP
was surprised to see Pawar too adopting the same line as the Congress. As the meeting
broke up for tea, a BJP leader commented, "Had we known their stands were going to be
similar, we would not have broken the ice." Cricket to Blame
Patna: The whole nation may be going
bonkers about cricket, but Laloo Yadav is not merely uninterested, he is livid. He has
called on the government to ban live telecast of the matches. "When our forces are
fighting an undeclared war in Kargil, the countrymen are going crazy about cricket,"
he said, adding that Pakistani mercenaries were able to infiltrate because "everyone,
including the prime minister and the defence minister, was busy watching the World
Cup". Unfortunately, cricket aficionados included his private army of nine kids who
sat glued to the TV, even refusing to heed papa's diktats.
Another Roadshow
Bangalore: If elections are round the corner,
can yatras be far behind? After the BJP ended its 40-day "Sankalp Yatra" with an
address by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Hubli last week, Congress leaders were
quick to roll out one of their own. An air-conditioned bus to ferry top Karnataka Congress
leaders across the state but minor hiccups remain: like its name. "Rath Yatra"
was shot down since L.K. Advani has its copyrights. "Darshini" was rejected
because the bus could be mistaken for a catering van of a famous fast-food chain in the
state. Ditto for "Chaitanya Rath", an NTR trademark. With the row over the
naming of a bus threatening to damage the show of unity among the various state Congress
factions, one wise man came up with a name that could invite no retribution: Sonia Vahini.
So Sonia Vahini it is.
Law No Bar
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh's rulers know how not
to let the law stand in their way. The latest scandal originated about two years ago when
some ministers, a few of them still in the Digvijay Singh ministry, submitted false
affidavits to obtain plots from the state housing board and development authorities. The
rules stipulate that anyone who owns a residential plot or house in Madhya Pradesh cannot
apply for the same from the official agencies where rates are lower than market prices.
But these ministers availed of the schemes by making false claims. When former BJP chief
minister Sunderlal Patwa filed a public-interest petition in the high court challenging
the allocations, the Government simply changed the law to bail out its worthy ministers.
Friends in Need
Chandigarh: Sushma Swaraj may have been
sidelined in the BJP, but she has no dearth of friends across the political spectrum.
While holidaying in Shimla last week, Swaraj was informed about an emergency in the family
which warranted her return to Delhi. The BJP-led Government in Himachal Pradesh played
cool to her request for the state chopper, but Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal was quick
to respond to her SOS. A long-time friend of the Swarajs, Lal sent up the plane at state
expense. But in politics, there are no free lunches. Lal's generosity had a lot to do with
the state BJP's demand to pull out of the coalition government in Haryana. Beholden to
Lal, Sushma played a willing trouble-shooter for her non-BJP friend in need. |
