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NEWSNOTES
CAPLOOKS
 Mollifying
Gesture
Hyderabad:
When Japanese Premier Yoshiro Mori began his four-day visit to India with
a stop over in Bangalore, giving Hyderabad the go-by, Chandrababu Naidu
was understandably miffed. But the visitors pacified the Andhra Pradesh
chief minister by inviting him to Tokyo as a guest of the Japanese Government.
Cybergaru will be off in October.
 Language
Barrier
Delhi:
These are nightmarish days for officials and other staff at Parivahan
Bhavan which houses the Ministry of Surface Transport. The reason: a diktat
from Union minister Rajnath Singh that has resulted in files being constantly
shuttled between the minister's secretariat and department officials.
A few weeks back, Singh had asked his personal staff to ensure that no
file with notings in English be put up before him. Thus, these days, whenever
an official sends a note in English, the file is immediately returned
to the concerned officer asking him to attach a Hindi translation of the
same. What peeved officials are saying is: such diktats are fine in Uttar
Pradesh where Singh earlier served as a minister but have no place in
New Delhi.
Dwelling
on Correctness
Delhi:
Once ensconced inside, politicians are normally not known to vacate government
premises, especially if these are large bungalows. Outgoing BJP president
Kushabhau Thakre comes across as an exception. After the BJP's Nagpur
session this weekend, Thakre will vacate the bungalow on Tilak Marg which
the Government had allotted to him in his capacity as party president
and return to the modest two-room set behind the party headquarters. That
incidentally was where he used to live until his elevation two years ago.
Yielding
Place to New
Delhi:
Some time before November 1, the day the new state of Jharkhand is officially
carved out of Bihar, the Raj Bhavan in Patna will have a new occupant.
Incumbent Vinod Pande has made it clear to Delhi that if he is not shifted
out, he would quit rather than suffer humiliation at Laloo Prasad Yadav's
hands. The RJD brigade, of course, would be happy to see him go; the governor
had incurred its wrath by installing Nitish Kumar as chief minister last
year. That turned out be one of the briefest stints of any CM in Bihar.
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 It's
Pranab Mukherjee's turn now to "revive" the Congress
in West Bengal and take on Trinamool and the Marxists.
Q.
After a long stint in Delhi, isn't the job of PCC chief a demotion?
A.
I never consider any office a demotion. I was the seniormost member
in Indiraji's cabinet, yet Rajiv asked me to head the AICC Economic
Cell.
Q.
Did some people plot to remove you from Delhi?
A.
I
don't think so. Some people say I was shifted to Calcutta because
I was in the way of someone else who had visions of becoming leader
of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. That question does not arise
because Manmohan Singh will get re-elected.
Q.
How will you stop the exodus from the Congress in West Bengal?
A.
Many people want to leave and join Mamata. I am not going to stop
them. I think we should let Mamata enjoy the fruits of her struggle.
She has become extremely popular.
Q.
Are you against the mahajot with the Trinamool?
A.
I am opposed to a mahajot with the BJP. Mamata is now with the NDA
and she is not communal. Things are changing and we will keep our
doors open.
-Lakshmi
Iyer
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The
stock markets are humming, and it's feel-good time once again, writes
INDIA TODAY Associate Editor V. Shankar Aiyar in 
