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 Herd
Instinct
Delhi: As the
Union home minister, L.K. Advani gets to travel across the country. On a
mission to Sikkim and north Bengal last week, bad weather forced the
cancellation of his chopper ride to Nathu La, giving him an opportunity to
drive around the Chhangu lake. Advani insisted on taking a jeep, with
Sikkim Governor Randhir Singh in tow. The governor's term is ending this
year, so he would not pass up a chance to get close to the man who can
rehire him. At Chhangu, the motorcade was stopped by a herd of yaks and
Advani insisted on riding one. Not to be outsmarted, the governor
clambered up another yak. The eight hooves, carrying the two VVIPs
sauntered along for close to half an hour.
Rights and Rungs
Bhubaneswar: At the executive meeting of the
ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) last week, there was much heat generated.
Venting their ire were most ministerial aspirants who failed to make it,
demanding that the one-man-one-post formula be strictly implemented.
Ministers, they said, must give up their party posts. Did that also
include Naveen Patnaik, chief minister and BJD president? Not by a long
shot, chorused even the most vocal proponents of the formula. As one of
them said, in every party some people are more equal than others.
Sonia's Daymare
Delhi: Last Tuesday wasn't exactly a
memorable day in Parliament for Congress President Sonia Gandhi. The day
started disastrously with her limited debating skills pitted against Prime
Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's oratory. Predictably, she was all at sea.
Later, as she entered the elevator, she ran into the man who spoilt her
prime ministerial ambitions last year: Mulayam Singh Yadav. Both preferred
to look the other way. As she stepped out on the first floor, in came P.A.
Sangma. Needless to say there was embarrassed silence again.
Futile Prayer
Chandigarh: Last week, former prime minister
H.D. Deve Gowda braved the heat to visit a little known "Balaji"
temple near Chandigarh. After offering prayers, he raved and ranted about
the BJP. But the rump that his party has become ensured there were more
mediapersons than followers.
CONFESSIONAL
GHULAM NABI AZAD worked
hard to ensure that the mahajot in West Bengal was shelved for now, giving
Sonia Gandhi a breather.
What is your party's stand on the mahajot?
A. The issue is still open. But there have to be threadbare
discussions from the block level onwards before we take a final decision.
So a tie-up with the BJP is still possible?
A. Our stand is very clear. We will never have any understanding,
direct or indirect, with the BJP.
But the state unit has one view and the high command another.
A. That's not true. We are on the same wavelength. The state leaders
feel the mahajot experiment should begin with the local bodies elections,
but now they are convinced that it is not possible in local polls because
such contests are fought on local issues.
Doesn't the West Bengal unit's support to the mahajot amount to
defiance of Sonia?
A. I don't think you can call it defiance. Their reaction was in
keeping with local sentiments -- against 23 years of CPI(M) misrule.
-Javed M. Ansari
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