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Patching Up Delhi: It took the
spring break in Davos to thaw the differences between Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha and
Secretary to Prime Minister N.K. Singh. Once colleagues in the Bihar cadre of the IAS, the
two parted ways when Sinha quit the civil services to join politics. The stand-off between
the two reached embarrassing proportions when Sinha was appointed finance minister in
March 1998, with Singh being the revenue secretary. The bail-out came from none other than
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who brought Singh over to the PMO in July. Ever since,
the Sinha-Singh one-upmanship has provided grist to the rumour mills in North and South
Blocks. But none of it was apparent at the annual World Economic Forum meet in Davos,
Switzerland, where Singh not only donned the mantle of Sinha's principal aide, but happily
complemented the finance minister's efforts to sell India abroad. Taken in by a pleasant
surprise was the business delegation from India. Hopefully, the two will show a similar
camaraderie in the making of a memorable Budget 1999.
Spin Benefits
Delhi: He's
always been known as L.K. Advani's protege. And so, it is no coincidence that the home
minister is often invited to functions hosted by Union Civil Aviation Minister Ananth
Kumar. The equation doesn't just end there. The home minister now finds that it is a
useful ministry through which to conduct a public relations exercise. After all, lots of
goodies come tagged along with Air-India and Indian Airlines. pr, the home minister
realises, is a good way of earning some brownie points too. Not content with just throwing
a tea party for the Pakistani and Indian cricketers, Advani went one step ahead. He
presented Anil "perfect 10" Kumble -- the toast of India's resounding victory in
the second Test -- with 10 free tickets on the domestic carrier and another 10 on
Air-India. Kumar, of course, gladly let the home minister do the honours. It was for a
good cause after all -- Kumble had managed to bowl Advani too. Besides, isn't Kumble from
the same state as Kumar? Bangalore boys, as they say.
Riding the Wave
Calcutta:
When state Congress leaders implored her to rejoin the parent party, Mamata Banerjee's
reply was: "The Trinamool is now the sea, the Congress, just a tributary. How can the
sea join the rivulet?" Big talk on the eve of the February 10 rally -- to commemorate
the Trinamool Congress' first anniversary. But it seems to have worked. Pramod Mahajan,
the prime minister's emissary, was there at the rally -- to enlist the support of Mamata's
seven MPs. But Mamata hasn't capitulated as yet. As usual she says Bengal comes first --
the state's interest cannot be compromised.
Quote Unquote
Lucknow:
"Salman Rushdie has been allowed to visit India. What is your reaction?" a
journalist asked Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav at a press conference recently.
"Yes, he should be allowed. There is no problem," replied Mulayam. The scribe
then reminded him that Rushdie was the man who wrote The Satanic Verses and that his book
was banned. "Arre-arre, tab to hamein is mamle mein kuch bhi nahin kahna hai. Hum to
samajh rahe the ki koi aur aa raha hai Pakistan se (Hey, then I have nothing to say. I
thought it was someone coming from Pakistan)," was Mulayam's hurried retraction. |
