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 Compelling
Caution
Delhi: TDP supremo and Andhra Pradesh
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, ever vigilant to keep his image
squeaky clean, has recently issued a fiat to his party MPs in the capital.
If any of them has any matter that needs to be sorted out with a Union
minister, he should first take it up with the TDP's parliamentary party
leader K. Yerran Naidu. Nobody, the TDP boss has made it clear, should
call on any minister alone. Yerran Naidu has in turn been told that
whenever he calls on a minister, he should collect three or four MPs who
have grievances to be redressed and should take them all together to the
minister's office. Naidu probably thinks that individual meetings with
ministers may sow the seeds of corruption in the party and destroy his
image. But what if the MPs gang up?
On the War Path
Chandigarh: Combat comes naturally to Captain
Amarinder Singh, the ex-soldier-turned-politician. But these days, the
Punjab Congress chief is fonder of wielding the pen rather than the sword,
spending much time researching a book, A Definitive Inside Account of the
Kargil War. Of course, the army headquarters has been very generous,
providing him access to even top secret files. His detractors charge him
with surrendering the political battlefield in Punjab to the allies, but
the captain feels the battle for power can wait.
Godly Omens
Bhubaneswar: It was a perfectly crafted
government show aimed at invoking the blessings of the Lord. But as Orissa
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched a special plantation scheme to
ensure steady supply of wood for the famous Jagannath rath yatra in Puri,
the idol of Balabhadra -- Jagannath's sibling -- that was placed on the
dais took a tumble, breaking its hands. Ministers and officials in
attendance quickly repaired the damage, but Patnaik is left contemplating
what the gods have in store for him.
Press Exercise
Chandigarh: Union Sports Minister Sukhdev
Singh Dhindsa is very popular with the Chandigarh press corp. The cricket
match-fixing scandal has made him all the more sought after. Dhindsa
presumably now wants hacks to build their biceps. Why else would he have,
at a function here last week, announced a contribution for a modern gym
for the local press club?
| CONFESSIONAL |
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Murli Deora, former MP and Mumbai
Congress chief, attempts to clear the confusion in his party on the policy
of economic reforms.
Q. Is the Congress going back on
reforms?
A. That is not true. It is the Congress which initiated reforms. Rajiv
Gandhi was its prime votary. So the party is committed to supporting
reforms.
Q. But some of your partymen have
dubbed the reforms anti-poor?
A. Dr Manmohan Singh had always said that reforms must have a human
face. Reforms will result in increased spending on health, education and
social infrastructure.
Q. Can you quantify that?
A. Take foreign exchange reserves. In 1991, we went with a begging
bowl to the IMF. Now our reserves are worth $ 32 billion.
Q. So is it an attempt to sideline Dr
Singh?
A. Dr Singh has a very high stature and credibility. His contribution
to the party cannot be denied.
Q. Who is raising this bogey in your
party?
A. Some Congressmen are swayed by the propaganda unleashed by the RSS
and the communists. A majority of the partymen support reforms.
-V. Shankar Aiyar
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