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NEWSNOTES
CAPLOOKS
Doc and
Dotcom
 Delhi:
Millions of Internet users all over the world know Sabeer Bhatia as the
man who founded Hotmail and then sold it to Microsoft for $400 million.
But in the country of his birth, he is evidently not very popular. At
least among the political class. Bhatia was in the capital last week to
launch his nephew's new legal portal Waqalat.com, but for weeks his Indian
associates here had problems finding someone willing to formally inaugurate
it. The response from most ministers who were approached was uniform:
Sabeer who? Ditto from most Congress leaders.The only one who recognised
Bhatia was former finance minister Manmohan Singh. And it was the good
doctor who cut the ribbon.
Forked
Tongue
Calcutta: West Bengal Deputy Chief Minister
Buddhadeb Bhattacharya was on a Calcutta-bound flight from Delhi last
week when a co-passenger beckoned to him. He was S.S. Ray, the last Congress
chief minister of the state. Talk finally veered towards the quality of
Jyoti Basu's Bengali speeches, never a strong point with the long-serving
chief minister. Ray remarked: "Naveen Patnaik should take a lesson
from Jyoti who has ruled for 23 years without knowing Bengali. I don't
know why he has to suddenly take lessons in Oriya."
Breaking
Barriers
Delhi: A class war is on in the BJP headquarters
on Ashoka Road. New party chief Bangaru Laxman, a Dalit from Andhra Pradesh,
is all set to displace party spokesman M. Venkaiah Naidu, a land-owning
Khamma, from his official room. So far a power centre, Naidu's room faced
the party president's chamber. Last week, Laxman had a look at Naidu's
chamber and ordered that it be expanded and renovated for the party chief's
use. Meanwhile, Naidu has to be content with a small room behind the reception.
 Pulse
Impulse
Shillong:Once a doctor, always a doctor.
On a recent visit to a government hospital in Cherrapunji, Union Health
Minister Dr C.P. Thakur noticed that the presence of a VIP resulted in
several sick patients being left unattended. So the physician began to
do what he did best before he became a minister. He started treating them.
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 Despite
his elevation as vice-president of the BJP, Gopinath Munde's
top priority remains Maharashtra.
Q.
So you are leaving the Maharashtra battlefield?
A.
Not at all. It remains my first priority. I will spend 15 days a
month here. This move will help me build the party.
Q.
Some say you are being moved to make way for others in the state.
A. (Laughs) For whom? On the contrary, I have been given a bigger
responsibility.
Q.
What do you think is the biggest problem facing the BJP today?
A.
Over the past three elections, the party's tally has remained at
180 seats in the Lok Sabha. Clearly, there is a need to expand the
party's base. I want to work in those states, especially in the
south, where the party is weak now.
Q.
What can you do for the party as a vice-president?
A.
My effort will be to bring into our fold those groups which are
not with the BJP now. I will bring government programmes to the
people.
Q.
What will be your advice to the BJP central leaders? Stick with
the Shiv Sena or split?
A.
We have small problems. But there is no alternative for both parties
but to stick together.
-V.
Shankar Aiyar
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If
the markets don’t recover in the next 48 hours expect the worst, says
V Shankar Aiyar in 
