Heroic effort

Ever wondered how the saffron tempest (read Uma Bharti) over Bihar could wane so quickly when a more natural variation of it continue to hold Bengal in its throes? The answer is the sangathhan ? which took no time to muzzle the sanyasin (who was meanwhile prescribing gau mutra to her detractors) and tell her in no uncertain terms (though not in so many words) that she should perhaps take the helicopter to Kailash and seek permanent residence there as she could not think of a political future outside the parivar. The words seems to have chastened the sadhvi, and probably not without reason. Among Uma?s heroes is the other chastened man, LK Advani, who is being made to let go of his high chair in December for daring to think differently from the sangathhan. Advani comes fourth in Uma?s list of great men ? after Lord Shiva, Lord Hanuman, and (hold your breath) Che Guevara ? but, as we gather, is no less important (for now, that is). But then the other heroes may easily take over. Which means Uma may decide to actually head north, or take the giant leap or remain the perpetual rebel. Or do all those things at once. Uma?

Better upkeep

About a heroine now. Probably because Bihar is a foregone conclusion (or may be not?), Sonia Gandhi has decided to concentrate on Uttar Pradesh, where she is trying (among other things, such as taking care of the forgotten grave of father-in-law Feroze Gandhi), to restore the glory of the Allahabad University. Madam has reportedly shot a letter to Manmohan Singh, seeking a Central university status for the institution, and a grant of Rs 200 crore. But what about the other Singh (Arjun)? The de-toxification minister, ahem, apparently has no funds in his coffer to cough up for Allahabad. Which is why he was bypassed. Or is there another reason?

Calamitous end

We don?t know why god likes to play the spoiler, but a natural calamity has stonewalled madam?s iftaar party this year as well. She believes, and quite justifiably, that the money spent on the lavish parties should be spent on the hapless. Last year, which witnessed the tsunami, no Congress leader had thrown an iftaar party. Ghulam Nabi Azad had had to make do with an Eid-milan bash. The instructions from madam stand this year too. However, the prime minister and chief ministers are exempt from the rule. The PM will, therefore, have his sarkari iftaar on November 3.

Heart of the city

Our SM Krishna may be the governor of Maharashtra, but his heart continues to be in Bangalore, or let?s say, it did till last week. Only some days ago, Krishna, who comes down to the city once in a fortnight, got the real taste of Bangalore when it took him an hour-and-a-half just to cover the stretch from his Sadashivnagar residence to MG Road, where he was supposed to have a press meet. Krishna himself admitted that the delay would have been less had he not taken the official car. The pilot car and escort vehicles made things more difficult as Bangaloreans refused to make way for his convoy. Talk of popular choice.

Baiting Buta

No matter how much he tries, Buta Singh seems unable to get even with those who he thinks are to be blamed for all his troubles in the badlands of Bihar. But now that he has refused to take the easy way out by resigning, the difficulties seem to be mounting. Last week, despite his best efforts, the Congress top brass declined to meet him. Ostensibly in the capital on a private matter, the governor, nonetheless, scheduled a press conference to talk about the poll arrangements in Bihar. As governor of a state under president?s rule, he thought he was doing his duty. Rashtrapati Bhawan however thought otherwise. A last minute missive from this place advised Buta to leave the job for the officials concerned as he was on a private visit.

Hell in paradise

Charge of the page three brigade, and Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh, naturally, is fuming at the invasion which has culminated in garish bungalows being built only next to the Air Force station. The previous NDA government had itself paid little heed to the age-old regulation that barred private construction within 900 metres of the outer boundary of the station. It had forced bona fide houseowners like Baljit Malik and Khushwant Singh form a protest organization called Scope. But public resentment has never bothered real estate sharks who continue to woo Delhiwallahs with bungalows in paradise.

Helping themselves

In case you didn?t know, the erstwhile rulers of Dhenkanal have fallen on bad days. Unconvinced? Well, then you should know that this is the plea that the former Union minister, KP Singh Deo, has taken to madam to convince her of the reason why she needed to give him a place in the council of ministers. Madam has apparently been told that the ex-MP?s pension of Rs 10,000 was too little to support the former raja, and Deo?s two sons (one of whom is a airline pilot) did not extend financial support to the father. Besides, if Deo was made minister, Orissa would get a representation at the Centre. Sound logic. But Deo seems to have got the idea from J Seelam, a retired IAS from Karnataka, who quit the services to join politics, only to lose badly in 1999. Last year, Seelam is said to have taken his school-going children?s fee receipt to madam to show that he was really is dire straits. Seelam is now an MP from Andhra Pradesh. Keep at it, KP.