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Man
of the Moment Delhi:
The release of Mulayam Singh Yadav's biography in the capital saw politicians like Laloo
Prasad Yadav, P.V. Narasimha Rao, H.S. Surjeet and Manmohan Singh rub shoulders with film
star Amitabh Bachchan. While Bachchan, an old friend of Mulayam, was there to add a touch
of glamour, it was the irrepressible Laloo who arrived, an hour late, to a thunderous
applause. Even the Big B had to pause in the middle of his speech and acknowledge the
"real crowd-puller". It was indeed Laloo's moment, having won his battle against
the Central Government a day earlier. The triumphant Bihar don later went up to Bachchan
with pastries, saying, "Here, we are all heroes. The zeroes have already been
defeated.''
Club Politics
Mumbai: For
someone in contention for the prime minister's chair, it was quite a comedown. Congress
stalwart Sharad Pawar was rallying his men last week to retain the presidentship of
Mumbai's Garware Club. Prestigious it may be -- membership to this south Mumbai club
carries a price tag of Rs 2.25 lakh -- but it's still a city club. Pawar faced an
opposition that would have made his political opponents proud -- the "Progressive
Group" challenged his frequent absence and lackadaisical book-keeping during his
tenure. The Maratha leader, however, kept his chair. But as a known Pawar baiter remarked,
"He better win such elections ... there's little hope for him in the big ones."
Khaki Cover
Ahmedabad: The
recent floods in Surat, which saw lakhs of people marooned for over two days, led to
unprecedented public ire against local politicians, particularly those of the BJP. Union
Textiles Minister Kashiram Rana, an MP from Surat, was hooted out of several
flood-affected areas. So Rana and his BJP faction hit upon a novel plan to face the
people. Realising that the only ones commanding the people's respect were hard-core RSS
workers involved in relief work, they quickly placed orders for khaki shorts and white
shirts. Not exactly the blue-eyed boys of the Sangh Parivar, Rana and his supporters
nevertheless donned the trademark RSS uniform and tried to enter a locality. But the
people weren't deceived. They again greeted Rana with scorn. This time, however, he
summoned the courage to face the irate crowd. And thus managed to keep the prestige of the
khaki shorts intact.
Quiet Homecoming
Bhopal: It was
not the kind of family reunion that his relatives had anticipated. Atal Bihari Vajpayee's
first visit to hometown Gwalior after becoming prime minister took place under the shadow
of the Special Protection Group. Vajpayee stayed at the circuit house and the lone meal he
shared with his relatives -- about 90 of them assembled for the occasion -- was in a
hushed atmosphere. When one of his three sisters chided him for not being the "old
Atal", Vajpayee pointed towards the securitymen standing outside and motioned her to
be quiet. The family, however, is looking forward to a get-together with its most
illustrious member in more open surroundings. Atalji has promised a day-long picnic for
the entire family at the first available opportunity.
Techno Tohra
Chandigarh:
Till recently, SGPC chief G.S. Tohra's home in his native village didn't have a telephone
connection. But things are changing slowly. Not only has his village residence acquired
two telephone lines, a techno-savvy Tohra now sports a pager and a cellular phone. Eager
to please Tohra, who is known to wield the remote control of the Badal Government,
officials are vying with each other to make his village a model of development. While the
link roads leading to the village can put many state highways to shame, the village has
also been fitted with solar street lights. Clearly, the residents of Tohra village are
basking in the glory of their all-powerful elder. |
