 Call
Collect
Delhi: MTNL, which provides telephone
services in Delhi and Mumbai, has the look of a hi-tech company but at
heart, it remains very much a sarkari department. And it is mortally
afraid of MPs. Every MP is entitled to one lakh free calls a year. Problem
is, some honourable members far exceed the limit and forget to pay up. So
far, they got away, but a recent Bombay High Court ruling makes it clear
that MPs must be treated on a par with ordinary citizens. So they are
coughing up, though reluctantly. One of them has run up such a huge bill
that he is paying in installments -- of Rs 2.5 lakh a month. More brazen
is the man who claimed parliamentary privilege to avoid paying bills.
Tongue Tied
Bhubaneswar: Language is a problem in Orissa
these days. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is still ill at ease speaking
Oriya while Leader of the Opposition Ramakanta Mishra cannot converse in
English. So what do the two do when they run into each other? They prefer
to look the other way. Another important state minister can speak Oriya
but cannot read or write the language. The results often verge on the
hilarious. Statements issued by his staff are in Oriya but the minister
signs off in English. Some cocktail this.
Soniasqueak
Thiruvananthapuram: There is a mahajot
happening in Kerala and this one has the Congress and the Marxists hand in
hand. Blessing a Kerala all-party agitation against the Centre was
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. So overwhelmed was state Chief Minister E.K.
Nayanar with Sonia's unexpected arrival that he invited her to speak.
"I support your agitation," was all that her speechwriters had
prepared her for. But Nayanar insisted she speak for at least five
minutes. Only timely intervention by some comrades saved Sonia the
blushes.
Wheel Deal
Bangalore: S.M. Krishna, the Karnataka chief
minister, knows how to keep MPs from his state happy. Last week, the 40
representatives in the two houses of Parliament got a surprise grant from
him: Rs 6 lakh each to buy themselves brand new cars. Talk about vehicles
of political diplomacy.
CONFESSIONAL
Senior Congress leader ARJUN
SINGH wants to dispel the impression that he
is the one every Congressman loves to hate.
Many Congressmen say you misguided
Sonia last year and that led to the party's debacle.
A. Last year's decisions were not made by me, they were collective.
It's not fair to single me out.
You have a reputation of being a
schemer who promotes factionalism.
A. These are perverted perceptions. I would not be where I am today if
I had indulged in factionalism.
You recently entered the Rajya Sabha
after two unsuccessful attempts to get into the Lok Sabha.
A. I did not contest the last polls because I wanted to work for the
party under Soniaji. I will again contest for the Lok Sabha whenever I get
the opportunity.
The party had its worst electoral
results and the people unequivocally rejected Sonia. Will the Congress
begin to look for an alternative leader?
A. The 1999 results were not a verdict against Soniaji. A lot of
things went against us. But if there's anyone who can bring the Congress
back, it's Soniaji.
- Lakshmi Iyer
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