From feel good to feel bad. Pramod Mahajan may have found Sonia Gandhi easy prey, but he has probably bitten off more than he can chew by raising the “foreign origins” issue to question Priyanka Gandhi’s right to fight for public office. He hadn’t bargained for the opposition from his own party for starters. But there may be worse yet to come. For in Congress circles a whisper is doing the rounds that if Mahajan contests the Lok Sabha polls from Mumbai, Priyanka will address a few meetings in that megapolis. Some angry Congressmen are even egging on the lady to take on the BJP leader. Mahajan is well-known for his insouciance, but this time he is not taking any chances. His office has been instructed to show him all news reports and sound-bytes on the subject for necessary action. The saffron party grapevine traces Mahajan’s new cautiousness to a conversation with Arun Nehru. Rajiv Gandhi’s cousin who is now in the BJP reminded his party senior how one public meeting by Priyanka in Rae Bareilly during the 1999 general elections had reduced him from a hot favourite to a disgraceful third spot. Perhaps now Mahajan will have more respect for the power of the Nehru-Gandhi name.
Governors, like children, are meant to be seen, not heard. A dictum that Madan Lal Khurana, recently appointed governor of Rajasthan, does not set much store by, much to the discomfiture of Vasundhara Raje Scindia, the state’s chief minister. The BJP think-tank may have intended the gubernatorial post as a resting house for Khurana after he lost out to Sheila Dikshit in the race to be Delhi CM, but it hasn’t had the desired effect. Khurana is using his post to do what he does best — play politics. One of the first things Khurana did on assuming office was to announce janata durbars, at which the CM would be in attendance and where the grouses of citizens would be looked into. In other words, Vasu would have to play second fiddle to Khurana, something she doesn’t like.
Complaining to the higher-ups — in this case, LK Advani — hasn’t worked. Instead, she has been asked to tackle Khurana herself. Actually, Advani himself doesn’t know what to do. When the vice-president, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, held a string of such durbars during Ashok Gehlot’s reign, Vasu had been full of praise. But evidently, now that she is at the receiving end, she is not so appreciative. Sauce for the goose, in this case, is definitely not sauce for the gander.
Her sister CM in Madhya Pradesh, Uma Bharti, too isn’t having a good time with her party seniors. Bharti is angry with Jaswant Singh for sitting on a file that details the shady links of her predecessor, Digvijay Singh. The sadhvi naturally wants the finance minister to clear the case fast so that she can have a go at Diggy raja before the Lok Sabha polls. But Singh isn’t budging. Apparently, the wily ex-CM of Madhya Pradesh has brought his raj connections to bear on the case given that Jaswant too has royal connections — lesser ones, of course, than the raja of Raghogarh. Some things are above party loyalties.
Indian politics is almost entirely an old boys’ club, which is why one can imagine that the few women politicians feel quite lonely. No wonder, Congressmen are willing to forgive Sonia Gandhi continuing with the woman they can’t stand — Ambika Soni. For example, if the high command wants to go for a morning walk while on tour, they say, she can well take Soni along.
Much the same is being said about Uma Bharti’s choice of Nirmala Buch as her chief advisor over many more promising — male — contenders. Sisters of the world unite!
It’s called killing two birds with one stone. Ajit and Amit Jogi, the out-of-favour father-son duo from Chattisgarh, are courting LK Advani. Their calculation is that one, it just might dilute the cases against them and two, it might bring home to Sonia Gandhi just what she has lost out on. High hopes, huh?
It’s well over a decade since Perestroika and the collapse of the Soviet Union, but Kerala’s romance with communism continues. A recent function in Thiruvananthapuram was inaugurated by someone called Lenin, while another man by the name of Stalin was president. The person welcoming the guests was called Khruschev and the vote of thanks, at the end of the ceremony, were offered by someone who answered to the name of Gorbachev. One Brezhnev was also among the guests. That must have brought together the entire pantheon of Russian leaders under one roof.
Brajesh Mishra is an angry man these days. Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s man for all seasons is miffed at media reports that indicate that he will take over as the next Indian ambassador to the United States of America when the tenure of Lalit Mansingh, the present incumbent, expires on March 31.
Strange indeed are the ways of the high and mighty. One would have thought Mishra would be excited to be considered for the post since Washington DC is where all the action lies — diplomatically, at least. Also, the post of Indian ambassador to the US would have seemed right up his sleeve given his rapport with officials in the Bush administration. But Mishra, it seems, believes in mera Bharat mahan. He would rather stay put in the country, and decide whether Kanwal Sibal, who recently retired as foreign secretary; or NK Singh, a former finance secretary; or KC Pant, deputy chairperson of the planning commission, should be appointed to the post. And who can blame him — once you have played king-maker, anything else would seem lowly.
