Cutting teeth

The fuddy-duddies in the party may be legion for bickering amongst themselves, but the good thing about the Congress?s baba-brigade is that it is definitely a fraternity. The friendly vibes were quite in evidence the other day when two of its leading lights ? Milind Deora and Sachin Pilot ? were to plead the government?s case over the right to information bill. Sonia Gandhi was present in the house, as was Rahul, to thump the benches. Jyotiraditya Scindia and Milind could be seen talking earnestly as they entered the house together ? apparently the former was telling his younger colleague to get rid of his chewing gum. The presence of so many familiar faces must have given him confidence, for Milind spoke extempore for a good 28 minutes. Even his father had never spoken for longer than seven-and-a-half minutes, the irrepressible Mani Shankar Aiyar pointed out. But it was a proud Murli Deora who watched his son?s performance on the TV screen in the Central Hall, though he did make a few critical points. He must have been pleased to see Milind look to the US for his references ? though the savvy youngster took care to quote Rajiv Gandhi along with Woodrow Wilson. At this rate, you can expect to hear a lot more from the MP from downtown Mumbai.

Run, the ship?s sinking

If at the national level, the BJP paints a sorry picture, then, in Bengal, it?s faced with imminent disaster. As important, district-level, Bengali leaders leave the party one by one, the BJP runs the danger of becoming entirely Burrabazar-centric. The BJP was never popular among the minorities, but the exclusion of even one candidate from these communities in its list for the civic polls has made matters worse. It has made Muzaffar Khan?s position untenable, and the BJP?s young turk ? its ?secular face? ? has crossed over to the Trinamool, along with a sizeable chunk of his followers. He?s been made very welcome by Mamata Banerjee, of course, who has herself taken a hit with Subrata Mukherjee?s defection. But what of Tapan Sikdar, whose right hand Muzaffar Khan was? Or, is Muzaffar?s turning to Mamata a hint of more momentous events to come? After all, anything can happen in politics.

Call on hold

Tea parties have always been historic affairs. There was the one at Boston...and a few years ago, there was the to-do over Sonia Gandhi and Jayalalithaa having a cuppa together. But a tea party can be momentous even when it doesn?t come about ? as the BJP bigshots recently found out. Having painted themselves into a corner with their grandstanding over Laloo Prasad Yadav, the NDA leaders were waiting for a conciliatory public gesture from the prime minister ? an invitation to tea ? to end their boycott of the budget session. Nothing less would appease George Fernandes, and LK Advani after him, who remembered how unforgiving the Congress was over Tehelka. Only the call from the PMO never came. Lesson of the story, never underestimate your enemy.

His time will come

The man in the middle of the storm in the teacup ? Laloo Yadav ? has been quite stumped by his run of bad luck. Quite typically, he has turned to astrologers for succour. They have told him that shani does not favour him, and that this state of affairs will continue until May 22. Laloo should thank his lucky stars for not deserting him entirely ? the cabinet reshuffle is scheduled for after May 22.

A problem of image

For all his attempts to be taken seriously, Rahul Gandhi remains something of a pin-up boy. Witness the website, rahulgandhi.com, which has one respondent asking him to ?straighten his hair?. Sadly for him, will he/won?t he marry his Venezuelan girlfriend arouses more interest than does his speeches in the house. Perhaps, he should get married.

Traveller?s check

It takes no more than one bad move to ruin a career. Najma Heptullah?s stars have been on the wane ever since she joined the BJP on the eve of the last general elections and the Congress resurgence. But the former deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha is determined to hang on to the chair of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations, despite subtle, and often pointed, hints from the UPA government asking her to give it up. Heptullah is being repeatedly denied official sanction to travel abroad. She wanted to go to Italy, then Houston, but Renuka Chowdhury was sent instead. The problem is that the ICCR is not fully autonomous and the MEA, which runs it, has allegedly found out that Heptullah had run up huge bills on foreign jaunts when she was president of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The good times seem to have come to an end for Heptullah, at least for now But politics being the art of the possible, the good times could be just a reconciliation away.