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 Balancing Act
Delhi: It takes a special skill to be in the good
books of both L.K. Advani and Sonia Gandhi. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit, for sure,
has it. The reason is quite simple: Dixit realises that if her writ is to run in the
state, she needs the blessings of both the Union home minister and the Congress president.
Advani, because she needs his help to tame the bureaucracy, even bring in her own
favourites into the secretariat. Among those on her hit list is Delhi Chief Secretary
Omesh Saigal, but the problem is he is very popular in Delhi BJP circles. Sonia's soft
corner for Dixit is well known. The chief minister now intends to use it to persuade Sonia
to show the door to Delhi PCC chief Subash Chopra, her bugbear for long. Ire Power
Bhubaneswar: For J.B. Patnaik, Orissa Congress' sole
strongman, this has not been a particularly happy election campaign. The final days of
electioneering saw Anjana Mishra, the fiesty lady who battled JB in the courts, come out
in full support of the BJD candidate who is fighting the former chief minister in Athagarh
in Cuttack district. Her mission: to "sensitise" the state's women to the
dangers of voting JB to power. She obviously wasn't taking any chances.
Tongue Tied
Delhi: Congressmen have for long wondered about the
special chemistry between Sonia Gandhi and CWC member Ambika Soni. Now the truth can be
revealed. Soni, apart from pursuing an eventful career in politics, is quite a polyglot,
being fluent in Spanish, a language in which the Congress chief is comfortable. Soni has
in the recent past also mastered Italian. Incidentally, Meira Kumar, who quit the party,
also spoke Spanish. But not Italian.
Paying Safe
Bangalore: Is S.M. Krishna the chief minister of
Karnataka or the prime minister of Bellary. After announcing a Rs 2,500-crore package for
Sonia Gandhi's erstwhile constituency, Krishna, a frequent visitor to the place, recently
set up a task force to oversee Bellary's development. Critics are carping at all this
extra attention, but Krishna sees it as an investment for the future: the way the party's
fortunes are plummeting elsewhere, you need one sure seat at least.
CONFESSIONAL
BJP MP Dilip Singh Ju Dev, who works against conversion
of tribals in Bastar, wants to defend Dara Singh but his party leadership has asked him to
back off.
Why are you supporting Dara Singh?
I am only offering my legal assistance so that he has a fair chance of defending
himself.
But the whole country believes he killed Staines.
I am not saying don't hang the killer. I have worked all my life against conversions
in tribal belts in Madhya Pradesh. I believe Dara was doing the same in Orissa and he may
have been unfairly targeted.
Are you suggesting the killings were part of a wider
conspiracy?
Yes, a conspiracy to defame Hindusim, which I think is the most democratic and liberal
religion in the world.
Your party president has asked you to withdraw your
backing for Dara.
When I do so much on stopping conversion, the party is not bothered. So when I defend
someone who is doing the same work, the party should not be bothered.
So is the party playing a double game? It supports
your work but decries your public stance?
Well, this is not a BJP government. Vajpayeeji has compulsions running a coalition.
-Sayantan Chakravarty
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