Jinxed
Office
Hyderabad:
When it comes to playing politics,
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is one with his partymen. Despite the
Congress' strength having gone up from 26 to 91 in the 294-member Assembly
this time, CLP leader Y. Rajasekhar Reddy has been allotted a cramped
office room in the Vidhan Sabha. Reddy is loath to move in because of the
belief that all those who occupied the room earlier fared poorly in
subsequent polls, including two former chief ministers, N. Bhaskara Rao
and N.T. Rama Rao. The only big room available is more or less
"booked" by Finance Minister Y. Ramakrishnudu and even the TDP
wants to retain it. Seems like a novel way to keep the Congress out in the
state.Grounded
Fears
Delhi: Civil
Aviation Minister Sharad Yadav believes he's better off politicking in
Bihar than jetting around the globe trying to improve the country's
aviation sector -- one of the perks that comes with his ministry. Like
most cabinet-rank ministers Yadav has allocated little work to his deputy
Chamanlal Gupta but says Gupta is free to make as many trips overseas as
he wants. Could it then be the fear of flying? Yadav would have everyone
believe that he's averse to eating with "fork and knife". Truth
is he wants to keep intact his record of not flying abroad during his
25-year political career.
Weak Defence
Lucknow: Far
from enthusing party workers and state officials -- despite constant
advice from senior leaders -- Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ram Prakash
Gupta has only ended up embarrassing the party. At a local function
recently he commented, "Humari sarkar to Ram bharose chal
rahi hai (My Government is being run by Ram's grace)." Indeed,
when party leaders were gunning for Kalyan, Gupta's wife Nirmala remarked
to a newspaper that "injustice is being done to Kalyan". The
other day, he had senior officials squirming in their seats when he
confessed at a press conference, "I am a weak chief minister, and a
chief minister should be weak because so he does not create
controversies."
Out of Luck
Bangalore:
Former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda
seems to have fallen on bad times. Ever since he had to vacate his
"lucky" official residence Anugraha for new Chief Minister S.M.
Krishna, the "humble farmer" has been putting up at his
daughter's house, almost 18 km from the secretariat. The J.H. Patel
ministry had promised him an official bungalow as he was the first
Kannadiga to become prime minister. But with Patel himself losing his job
Deve Gowda is now using the Vokkaliga connection to find himself a house.
Not an easy task given the restrictions imposed by the SPG.
CONFESSIONAL
For long labeled as ineffective, Gujarat Chief Minister KESHUBHAI
PATEL presents a new face by taking bold decisions, some of which may
not be popular.
You seem to have come into your own
after the BJP's triumph in the recent polls in Gujarat.
No, we were geared up from day one but the announcement of the polls,
the campaign and the curbs entailed in the election code slowed us.
What is Vision 2010 and what does it
aim at?
A planned development of Gujarat by 2010 particularly in the area of
infrastructure development. It includes 383 projects worth around Rs 1.75
lakh crore. But its main feature is the Built-Operate-and-Transfer system
for private sector investment, floated for the first time in the country.
But your Government hasn't acquired a
positive image as yet.
I have my own style of functioning. I never make tall claims. Most
predicted a rout for the BJP in Gujarat but it won 20 of the 26 seats.
It is said you rely too much on the
bureaucracy which tends to slow down the pace of work.
In fact it is the other way round. The bureaucracy is unable to keep
pace with me. Most of the new schemes are born out of my ideas.
Your Government recently awarded the
Rs 22 crore Hazira port project to Shell rejecting the bid of the Reliance
Group. Not many would do that.
We took the decision absolutely on merit. Anybody who has the
slightest doubt can evaluate the two bids.
How do you see Gujarat on the
completion of Vision 2010?
By 2010, Gujarat will be a model, complete in every respect. It will
be a much better place to live in for all sections of society.
-Uday
Mahurkar |
