Lok Sabha members trooping into the well of the House will be a thing of the past. So will be instances of legislators engaging each other in bloody fisticuffs, flinging microphones and paperweights at each other. Have our MPs metamorphosed? No, it's just an image overhaul.

BROUGHT TO BOOK: The Speaker can play by the rules

On November 25, Lok Sabha Speaker G.M.C. Balayogi led political leaders and presiding officers of state legislatures to adopt a 60-point code of conduct. This is not the first time politicians have promised to be good. They made a similar promise in 1997, though the latest wish-list of desirable manners is enforceable. For instance, the Lok Sabha will amend its rules to provide for automatic suspension of members entering the well.

"You can't have the peace of a graveyard in any deliberative body," warns CPI(M) leader Somnath Chatterjee. Former Lok Sabha secretary-general Subhash Kashyap sees the code as an attempt by the political class to redeem its esteem. "Rules are there. Only Speakers have not been able to enforce them," he says. MPs concede the Speaker can no longer wield the cane. "There are 41 parties and groups in the 13th Lok Sabha. Every one has to be carried along," says Balayogi's aide justifying the all-party conference to endorse the Speaker's right to play by the book. In a year when the railway budget was passed without discussion because of interruptions, extraordinary steps have to be taken so that it doesn't become a norm.

-Lakshmi Iyer

Shuffled Up

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's November 26 Cabinet reshuffle-inducting 11 and sacking eight ministers-has kicked up a storm. Astrological insights and the party's poor performance in the recent local body polls was apparently the reason. Naidu has indicated that there may be another reshuffle soon. Jeez.

-Amarnath K. Menon

BAZAAR
Oiling the Palate

While Indians discover the taste of olive, producers laugh their way to the groves

BROUGHT TO BOOK: The Speaker can play by the rules

For a people used to lavish scoops of fat, a healthy oil was never quite thought of as an alternative. But with the country's Generation Next careening towards health consciousness, olive oil producers the world over have suddenly found reason to smack their lips. In 1999 the Indian olive oil market began to sizzle with the launch of global brands like Bertolli, Sasso and Figaro. Prior to this, a largely grey market catered to the olive oil demand-100-150 metric tonnes annually. But over the past two years, India has become the fastest growing market with an annual growth of 30-40 per cent. It is estimated that by 2010 the demand will cross 2,000 tonnes per annum against 800 tonnes in 2000.

Exposure to world cuisines and wto-facilitated imports are encouraging this trend. Domestic brands like Saffola have also teamed up with Spanish companies to bring in more of the stuff. Add to that the health factor: olive oil reduces risk of heart diseases and atherosclerosis. So far the use had been external, for hair and skin care. Those who use olive oil swear by it. Among them are former model Rachael Rueben and beauty expert Cory Walia. Costing around Rs 350 a litre, the price factor may deter many consumers, but as with any other fad, demand for olive oil may only get slicker.

-Himanshi Dhawan