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Delegation
Work Delhi:
Congress President Sonia Gandhi is fast learning the art of skirting issues. Before he
left for New York last Tuesday, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee sent word for a
meeting with Sonia to discuss the ctbt, including the Congress' stand on the issue. Sonia,
however, preferred to depute Manmohan Singh and Pranab Mukherjee -- senior leader Sharad
Pawar was out of town. Vajpayee met the duo and sought the Congress' cooperation in
resolving the CTBT dispute with the US. The Congress delegation said the BJP Government
should sign the test-ban treaty only when it is non-discriminatory and without
compromising the country's security. It seems the summit meeting between Vajpayee and
Sonia may now take place only after the prime minister's return next month.
Flood of Woes
Calcutta:
One of the unwritten resolutions adopted at Pachmarhi was that if Sonia Gandhi's services
were required for boosting a state unit's morale, then that PCC would have to pick up her
travel bills. When floods ravaged north Bengal, rendering one crore people homeless, the
state unit went to press, announcing that a Sonia visit was round the corner. One flying
visit, they reckoned, would translate into considerable political mileage. But when told
about the cost of hiring a helicopter for the purpose -- Rs 8 lakh -- PCC chief A.B.A.
Ghani Khan Chowdhury was left speechless. With Sonia agreeing to the visit, Chowdhury's
lackeys are now wondering whether the money could have been better spent on flood relief.
Paper Publicity
Bangalore: Former
prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda has seen his popularity dip in recent times -- thanks
primarily to his rift with JD colleague and Karnataka Chief Minister J.H. Patel. Yet the
"humble farmer" spares no efforts to remain in the limelight. He has managed to
get a medical college -- to be set up in Hassan district -- named after him, courtesy his
supporters in the Vokkaliga community. "It's his desperate attempt to be known at
least in his home district," say former colleagues, now ministers in the Patel
Cabinet. But that's not all. Apparently, Deve Gowda is also thinking of launching his own
newspaper with the help of a friendly Kannada journalist. Of course, having your own
newspaper helps. Better than a medical college named after you.
Good from Far
Lucknow:
After Sonia Gandhi's code of conduct for Congressmen comes Uttar Pradesh Congress chief
Salman Khurshid's revamp plan for the moribund state unit. If Khurshid has his way, the
party office in Lucknow will soon be computerised, with close-circuit TVs monitoring the
staff and soft drinks replacing dirty tea cups. But most state leaders believe that when
stalwarts like N.D. Tiwari and Jitendra Prasada could not manage even a white-wash for the
dilapidated structure, then Khurshid's is surely a case of wishful thinking. The
non-resident UPCC chief, they say, will stay in a five-star hotel when in Lucknow,
otherwise he will flee back to his "Italian-tiled" bungalow in Delhi.
Attraction Abroad
Mumbai: Only
the irrepressible Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray could have come up with this one. It was a
meeting of businessmen and politicians. Tea-time talk veered round to the slipping
standards of governance and the difficulty in getting appointments with the
decision-makers in Mantralaya. Thackeray reacted in characteristic fashion: This man here
on my left is leaving for the United States, my chief minister called a meeting with
industrialists only to find that many of them were away in the US, Deputy Chief Minister
Gopinath Munde is scheduled to leave for the US ... Maybe it has something to do with the
fact that Lewinsky is a free woman these days. The guests shifted uncomfortably in their
seats but smiled politely. |
