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NEWSNOTES:
CAPLOOKS
News
Priority
Delhi:
Among
Army Chief General S. Padmanabhan's priorities is to provide a healing
touch to an embittered army. But none of this was in evidence last Monday
when the chief hosted the traditional Army Day get-together at his lavish
bungalow in the heart of Delhi. Among those joining in the celebrations
were the President, the prime minister, cabinet ministers, diplomats and
others. But what caused eyebrows to go up was the presence of some journalists
who have been running a campaign against the defence establishment since
Kargil. Wonder what ex-chief V.P. Malik, who faced the brunt of media
attacks in the past two years, has to say about this?
People's
President
Delhi:
President K.R. Narayanan has never been known to be a stickler for
protocol. He once gave a newspaper interview, something none of his predecessors
had ever done. More recently, he expressed a desire "to be among
the crowd" for Professor Stephen Hawking's lecture in Delhi, but
his security agents vetoed the idea. But they were less firm with the
President when during the Army Day celebrations he stepped out of the
VIP enclosure and mingled freely with the guests. People's President perhaps?
Back
Stage
Delhi:
Minister of State for External Affairs Ajit Panja, who went with the
prime minister to Indonesia last week, is likely to be back in Jakarta
this summer. Visiting a seaside Hindu temple in Bali last week, Panja
impressed Atal Bihari Vajpayee with a tuneful rendition of a Saraswati
hymn. Minister of State for Commerce Omar Abdullah then reminded Vajpayee
about Panja's theatre troupe which has already performed in, among other
places, New York. Vajpayee's beatific smile suggested Panja pack his bags
once again.
Itinerary
Entry
Bangalore:
Okay, Karnataka Chief Minister S.M. Krishna was sore when Bill Clinton
ignored Bangalore last March. But it doesn't rattle him any longer. Of
late, visiting VIPs ignore Hyderabad and have been thronging Bangalore.
Japan's Yoshiro Mori, China's Li Peng ... the list goes on.
CONFESSIONAL
Uttar Pradesh
coalition members are livid but state BJP chief KALRAJ MISHRA says
Ram temple is on NDA agenda.
Q. Sops
given by the Rajnath Singh Government indicate that the BJP is readying
for polls.
A. These should not be taken as pre-election measures. The polls will
be held on the completion of five years.
Q. Why
does the BJP fall back on Hindutva every time there is an election?
A. We are doing our job. We can't help it if people see Hindutva in
everything we do.
Q. But
you have raked up the temple issue again.
A. We did not do it on our own. When the Opposition raised it, we
had to reply.
Q. You
also said it was on the NDA agenda.
A. What I meant was that the temple was very much an issue. In fact
it is an issue for all parties, depending on which side they take.
Q. The
state BJP's executive meeting passed a resolution on the construction
of the temple.
A. We only appealed for its construction through a court verdict or
through mutual negotiations.
Q. But
Vinay Katiyar says the BJP is not bound to abide by the court verdict.
A.
That
is an individual's opinion.
-Subhash Mishra
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