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CAPLOOKS
Saved By A War
 Delhi:
On the night of September 30-the day Madhavrao Scindia was killed in a
plane crash-Sonia Gandhi cancelled her trip to China. The sentimental
gesture came as a surprise to her party colleagues. They felt it did not
behove the party president to cancel official engagements as the Congress
had no tradition of observing a period of mourning for its departed leaders.
Besides, China was looking forward to Sonia's visit-her second to that
country within a year. In fact, in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks
in the US, Beijing's envoy in Delhi met Sonia to persuade her not to cancel
the visit. But just when the topiwalas began to grumble, the US provided
a face saver to the Congress president. It began its attack on Afghanistan
four days before her visit was originally scheduled to begin. As a result,
the partymen have changed their refrain. They now believe that Madam is
blessed with an uncanny power of premonition. For the record, everyone
from CNN anchors to the famed astrologers of Varanasi, and apparently
even Nostradamus, have had visions of this war.
Dancing To His Verses
 Chandigarh:
Like mentor, like protege. Taking a cue from Punjab Chief Minister Parkash
Singh Badal's penchant for singing paeans to the prime minister, his long-time
political adviser, speechwriter and vice-chancellor of Panjab University,
Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia, has gone a step further in scripting a lesson
in sycophancy. Ahluwalia has choreographed "a unique experimental
ballet" based on the poems of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Titled Bharat-Kal,
Aaj aur Kal (India-Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow), the Ahluwalia production,
approved by Badal, is to be staged before Vajpayee next month. The show
will then travel to cities across the country. Ahluwalia has also taken
upon himself a project to translate Vajpayee's poetry into Punjabi. Is
the way to a man's heart through his verses?
Tripped By Script
 Bhubaneswar:
Delivering Oriya speeches by reading from Roman texts has its pitfalls.
Still ignorant of his mother tongue, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik tripped
up the other day while trying to win a little applause. Lauding handicraft
artisans, he described them as bikhyata (bruised) instead of bikhyaat
(famous). The audience was less than pleased. Naveen possibly did not
even realise the gaffe, and was left wondering.
Tug Of War
Bhopal: Madhavrao Scindia's death has
triggered a tug of war between the Congress and the BJP. The grand prize?
Scindia's son, the recently coronated "Maharaj" Jyotiraditya.
Observers say the Digvijay Singh camp in the Congress will bag most of
the consolation prizes (read Scindia loyalists) and Kamal Nath is likely
to be left without a trophy. If Jyotiraditya wants to retain the following,
he had better make up his mind quickly or he might end up being a king
without an army-and joining the BJP like his grandmother.
Electronic Mailed Fist
 Delhi:
Our military men are in the midst of a new drill-on the keyboard. It all
began with the army headquarters' decision to give a notebook pc to each
officer of the rank of major-general and above (and some brigadiers holding
key assignments). To ensure that the notebooks are used by those they
are intended for, army chief General S. Padmanabhan has sent the brass
an e-mail saying: "If I do not receive mail from you within this
month, I will presume that you have given your notebooks to your children
for playing computer games." Presumably, he's got mail.
Changing Equations Pre Election
 Chennai:
Remember the list of "staunch allies" of the DMK and the AIADMK
on the eve of the May assembly polls in Tamil Nadu? Well, forget it. As
the local body polls approach, at least five parties have deserted the
DMK-led front. Two have walked out of the AIADMK combine. The Congress
has formed a third front, thus scoring a point. The CPI(M), like the MDMK
and dpi, is all alone. Political configurations in Tamil Nadu, it has
been proved again, are highly volatile. Obviously, the stakes are high
for every party in the elections to six corporations, 102 municipalities,
29 districts, 609 town panchayats and 12,609 village panchayats October
16 and 18. For the AIADMK and its leader J. Jayalalitha, who has been
harping on the "people's verdict", a win would help her long-term
plan to get the BJP back on her side. The DMK, though disheartened, sees
the elections as a referendum and an opportunity to revitalise its cadres.
In greatest trouble: the TMC.
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