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Resting in Peace Delhi: Ever since he returned from his Lahore yatra, Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee's
new mantra seems to be ab bus nahi. Though he was scheduled to attend the IAF's show of
might in Pokhran last week, Vajpayee decided at the last minute to opt out, even brushing
aside repeated requests for his presence. The significance of that gesture, not to speak
of the location, was not lost on anyone. After all, it was after the nuclear tests at
Pokhran last year that India and Pakistan began to pull harder in different directions.
Till of course the historic meeting at the Wagah border. Clearly, Vajpayee is still
humming Jung nahi hone denge (We won't allow a war), the poem he had recited at the
reception in Lahore. It's one hangover neither India nor Pakistan would mind.
CM-in-Waiting
Bhubaneswar: It's
more than a month since Giridhar Gomang took over as the Orissa chief minister but he
still lives in the small two-roomed tenement in the city's middle-class neighbourhood of
Baramunda which has been his home for years now. The reason is not far to seek: J.B.
Patnaik, unused to living in anything less than the chief minister's bungalow, is yet to
pack up and move out. Ever a gentleman, Gomang has taken the inconvenience in his stride
and is not cribbing. But what must surely be cause for some discomfort for Gomang is that
over at the chief minister's house, staff members still refer to Patnaik as CM Saheb.
Callers to the Patnaik household are often told by the staff that "CM Saheb is
resting" or "CM Saheb is busy". Having sirred Patnaik for 14 long years,
it's clearly a case of old habits dying hard for the bungalow's retinue. Mercifully for
Gomang, at the secretariat the staff have begun to acknowledge the new power equations.
With the Men
Delhi: To say that George Fernandes avoids the trappings of office is to repeat a
cliche. As defence minister he has at his disposal aircraft belonging to the VIP squadron
of the Indian Air Force. But Fernandes uses it only if his destination is not serviced by
a regular commercial flight. There was one such destination last week -- Pokhran, where
Fernandes had gone to witness the IAF air show. On board, he shunned the special chamber
and preferred a seat in the cabin, leaving his room in the sky open for his guests who
included Indrajit Gupta, K.R. Malkani and P. Upendra. The guests, of course, did not
misuse the hospitality. They left the chair reserved for the minister vacant.
Host Story
Delhi: T. Subbarami Reddy, the MP from Visakhapatnam, is the kind of Congressman
for whom anything is an occasion to celebrate. Last week, his election as the new Congress
Parliamentary Party secretary saw Reddy throw three parties in as many days. A dinner for
top bureaucrats last Saturday was followed by a bash for journalists on Sunday. The
following day all Congress MPs were invited to his Purana Qila Road residence. The
hospitality was lavish and the food came from among the best caterers in town -- the Taj
Group. When an inquisitive journalists sought to know the reason for these lavish affairs,
Reddy was quick to retort: "Why bother? Just eat." For Reddy the best way to
people's heart is through the belly.
Match Makers
Calcutta: Who says cricketers and bookies are the only ones who fix cricket matches?
Bureaucrats do too, and regularly. An annual fixture in Calcutta is a friendly match
between the West Bengal Chief Secretary's XI and a government concern during which many
rules are waived. Last year's match saw the state Finance Minister Ashim Dasgupta turning
up late for a match to find the opponents batting. So he went in to bat for them instead.
Last week, Chief Secretary Manish Gupta led his team out to play against IOC. There were
no ministers this time, so no scandalous fixing either. "It was a serious
affair," says Information Secretary A.K. Deb. But the Chief Secretary's XI lost
though Gupta can claim he neither batted nor bowled. |
