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Thin
Following Delhi: The Janata Dal, which has more leaders than followers, contested just a
handful of seats in last week's assembly elections but its leaders were not in demand. The
party's lone sitting MLA in Delhi, Shoaib Iqbal from the Old Delhi constituency, wanted
only Ram Vilas Paswan and H.D. Deve Gowda to address his election meetings as both are
crowd-pullers in the Muslim-majority area. Feeling left out, party President Sharad Yadav
demanded a meeting be organised for him too. Arrangements were hurriedly made but there
was no crowd to hear Yadav -- Iqbal's election agents were the sole occupants of the front
rows. Naturally disappointed, Yadav tried to save the situation by saying, "Public
mobilisation is not enough. Party mobilisation is the key."
Ignored Forces
Delhi: Armed forces chiefs are disappointed by the Government's order announcing the
constitution of the National Security Council (NSC). They spent a great deal of time and
effort on their presentations before the task force that recommended the creation of the
NSC. But the eventual result is an NSC dominated by the civilian bureaucracy. They see
this as yet another example of the IAS' stranglehold on the Government. So casual has been
the Government's approach, grouch the services chiefs, that they learnt about the creation
and composition of the NSC through the newspapers. "A two-line note to us before the
public announcement would have been an act of courtesy," says a senior officer.
Prison Craft
Patna:
Political prisoners often boast of spending their time catching up on reading or even
writing memoirs. Laloo Prasad Yadav has no such pretensions. The incarcerated RJD chief
spends his time "repairing" discarded furniture at the BMP guest house which has
been converted into a jail specially for him and the other VIP accused in the fodder scam,
former chief minister Jagannath Mishra. Recently, during his morning stroll, Laloo noticed
several damaged sofa sets and chairs lying abandoned on the verandah. Convinced that the
furniture could be put to use after minor repairs, he asked the authorities for immediate
supply of material required for the job. The "diktat" was promptly complied with
and even a carpenter was engaged for the purpose. With plenty of time on hand, last heard,
Laloo was learning a new craft.
Caged Tiger
Mumbai: Few politicians can claim to read the mind of the media as well as Bal
Thackeray. Last week, the Shiv Sena chief went to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park to
inaugurate a new tiger safari named "Vyagrah" -- Sanskrit for Tiger, though in
Sena circles it's called the Viagra Park. It is the brainchild of his elder son Udhav, who
is a wildlife photographer. As he arrived at the venue, Thackeray looked at the
mediapersons and TV crews and said, "I know what you all are waiting for. You will
get it." Soon he boarded a wire-meshed bus and took a round of the safari, after
which he quipped, "Now you have seen the tiger in the cage." The media group
roared in approval for that was exactly what most of them had in mind.
PMO's Choice
Delhi: The National Commission for Women will finally have a new
chairperson. Some time ago, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on the request of his
predecessor I.K. Gujral, had agreed to appoint Veena Nayar to the post. However, the
decision was put off following objections from senior BJP leaders. Now Vibha Parthasarthy
has been chosen for the post on the recommendation of the PMO. The principal of Delhi's
Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, she is also the daughter-in-law of retired diplomat G.
Parthasarthy. Apparently, those in favour of former Mumbai MP Jayawantiben Mehta are
upset. Another instance of a conflict between Race Course Road and the BJP headquarters. |
