Delhi: Farooq Abdullah, golfer and chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, was in London for Christmas when he was informed by the media that A. B. Vajpayee wanted him back for the war effort. Unflappable Farooq stayed put. He returned a week into the new year, not losing out on his holiday or Vajpayee's affection. The chap losing his hair is his rival Chaman Lal Gupta, BJP leader from Jammu.

Private Quota, Public Cause

Bhopal: Just when it seemed all permutations of welfare schemes for backward classes had been tried by helpful politicians, Digvijay Singh has invented a novel one. He's not talking job reservations like V.P. Singh and Mayawati; his dream is richer. Digvijay wants a Dalit to become a millionaire. Since government jobs aren't supposed to help people achieve that goal, Digvijay is talking about extending reservation to dealerships and distributorships for private companies. Digvijay's stock in the Dalit congregation is on a high. Wonder what the private companies think.

Whither Carrot

Raipur: Immediately after 12 BJP MLAs broke away from the party and joined the Congress, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi flew in with the lot to Delhi for his expected pat on the back. The reception he got must have taken the smugness out of his smile. Not only did Sonia Gandhi refuse to meet the defecting MLAs, she even shot down a proposal from Jogi to expand his cabinet. Other senior Congress leaders were predictably cool about the "achievement" after that. Now the dozen are being showcased in Uttar Pradesh in preparation for the polls there.

Titled Governor

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Governor C. Rangarajan is having designations thrust upon him. Visiting British Prime Minister Tony Blair mistakenly complimented the former Reserve Bank of India governor for his work as governor of the Bank of England. The next day a state-sponsored it conference listed Rangarajan as the chief minister. The saga of slip-ups caught Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee too. At a banquet for Blair he raised a toast to Indo-Pakistan friendship. Do Tony and Pervez look alike?