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Cricketing Mileage
Delhi: The occasion was a friendly cricket match between Correspondents Covering
the Congress (CCTC) XI and the 10 Janpath XI. Overnight expectations of a rare Sonia
Gandhi presence at the National Stadium were belied as Jayalalitha's tantrums in Chennai
kept the Congress chief closeted with senior party colleagues. But several of her personal
staff donned whites, showing far more confidence in braving journalists' quickies than
Sonia would facing queries at a news conference. For the record, the scores read: CCTC XI
175 for 7 in 25 overs; 10 Janpath XI 115 all out. One gallant loser tried to brush aside
the defeat saying, "It pays to keep the press in good humour." That explains why
despite trouncing their hosts, the journalists were treated to several rounds of lager and
a sumptuous buffet. Back-breaking
PR
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister
Digvijay Singh is probably one of the best pr man going around. He has charmed even the
sadhus. The Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad had announced an agitation of sadhus against
the state Government from April 5. But it withdrew the agitation following a meeting the
sadhus had with Digvijay. The chief minister accepted all their demands. But what probably
pleased them more was that he not only garlanded all the sadhus who came for the meeting
at the state secretariat, he even tried to touch their feet in the presence of senior
bureaucrats.
Fool's Paradise
Patna: For once it was all fun and no
politics at Chief Minister Rabri Devi's 1 Anne Marg residence. Her husband and RJD chief
Laloo Prasad Yadav chose April Fool's Day to ridicule party colleagues. So, ministerial
aspirants Rajgir Chaudhary and Lal Behari Yadav, with supporters in tow, reached the Raj
Bhavan gates only to realise that they had been fooled. Apparently, someone had called
them up the previous night, asking them to be prepared to take oath as ministers in
Rabri's cabinet. Laloo's children did not spare even Subhash Yadav, who was informed that
his sister Rabri was indisposed and that he should rush. A harried Subhash reached 1 Anne
Marg and while climbing the stairs fell and fractured his right leg. Similarly, ministers
Jay Prakash Narayan Yadav and Ashok Singh were told that a senior Hindi journalist had met
with an accident and had been admitted to the IGIMs. The VIPs reached the hospital only to
realise it was a hoax call.
Miles to Go...
Mumbai: His remote control may be
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, but Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane wants to go
beyond its range. Quite in awe of his neighbouring counterparts -- Digvijay Singh and N.
Chandrababu Naidu -- Rane is planning to spend a few days in Bhopal and Hyderabad to get a
first-hand experience of how the two chief ministers run their states. That's not all. He
also hopes to take a few lessons from Digvijay on how to win elections under adverse
conditions; and from Naidu, how to get projects cleared by the Centre. With less than a
year to go for the assembly elections and the picture looking far from pretty for the Shiv
Sena-BJP combine, Rane will have to be a very good student to pass the test.
Derailed Guest
Bhubaneswar: Union Railway Minister
Nitish Kumar is not known to lose his cool easily. But at a public function in Puri last
week, frightened railway staff in attendance scurried for cover as the red-eyed Kumar
raved and ranted. Kumar's eyes were red not on account of any goof-up by the railway staff
but sheer lack of sleep. His visit was planned in advance, but the Orissa Government --
perhaps piqued at the Railway Ministry's alleged neglect of the state -- had made no
arrangements for the minister's stay in Puri. To make matters worse, all the local hotels
were full, forcing Kumar to take shelter at the Railway Officers' Mess. Needless to say,
no ministerial comforts here and no sleep for the minister either. |
