Convict Queen
Though AIADMK leader Jayalalitha was debarred from contesting the elections on grounds of her conviction in a corruption case, she was sworn in as chief minister of Tamil Nadu. Will her aggressive game plan work? And should popular mandate overrule judicial verdicts?

Great Call Of China
Indian entrepreneurs are eagerly joining the swiftly growing queue to set up shop in China.
The land once considered forbidden has suddenly become
the hottest destination for Indian businessmen.

Looking East
Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit to Malaysia may have achieved little on Quattrochi's extradition and India's greater ties with ASEAN, but it showed there is more to their bilateral relations than these two issues.

Mother's Day
Stalinist methods played a vital role in the humiliating finale of M. Karunanidhi's dynastic ambition.

Readying For Nukes For the first time after India became a nuclear power, the Army stages a nuclear war game to check preparedness.

NEWSNOTES

Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh's meetings with top BJP leaders fuel speculation that he may join the NDA Government.

Q. You have met a lot of BJP leaders of late. Are you joining the NDA?
A. I met Union Home Minister L.K. Advani to discuss the creation of Harit Pradesh, a separate state out of western Uttar Pradesh. I'll back anyone who supports it. So far only the BJP and the BSP have said they will support the new state.

Q. Are you going to be inducted into the Government?
A. I am being wooed by the BJP not for its Government at the Centre but for the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. No single party will get a majority on its own and my party has influence in over 100 assembly seats. Everyone wants the support of the Lok Dal.

Q. But you were an ally of the Congress in the last elections.
A. Yes, but it was the Congress that snapped ties in the state-level elections. Now it is wooing me again. The trouble with the Congress is that it still behaves like the ruling party.

Q. Are you ruling out your party's entry into the NDA and your own entry into the Vajpayee ministry?
A. The NDA Government depends on a lot of parties for its survival. But it is wooing me just to win the elections in Uttar Pradesh.

--Lakshmi Iyer

MetroScape

Delhi Cinema:
"Flicks Down Under"

Mumbai Restaurant:
Karma

Kolkata Restaurant:
Teej

The Madhya Pradesh governor orders a CBI inquiry into a land allotment by the chief minister to the Nai Duniya group, kicking off a constitutional crisis. INDIA TODAY Special Correspondent Neeraj Mishra reports in
Conflict Of Interest.