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It has been a while since Akhilesh Yadav, the young chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, has been holding the reins of the state. But for some mysterious reason, he has not had the time to select a photograph of his to adorn the walls of the government offices. Now is that because Akhilesh is painfully aware of the looming shadow cast by his father? Or, given the murky waters of state politics, is the CM hard-pressed for time? Even as the search continues, enterprising babus — eager to present proof of their allegiance to their boss — have put up a picture in which Akhilesh is seen calling on the prime minister, Manmohan Singh. None has had any objection, so far, about this photograph. After all, the PM and the CM in a single frame, undoubtedly, sends the right political message. Is there any need for a new photograph then, given the fact that a picture speaks louder than words?
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In Tamil Nadu’s political circle, the Union finance minister, P Chidambaram, is known to be a staunch atheist. But recently, PC managed to raise a few eyebrows when he was spotted listening to bhakti sangeet with rapt attention in Tirupati. Keeping him company in the pious task were his wife, grand daughter and his daughter-in-law. But not everyone was as surprised. The event happened days after the apex court delivered an important verdict clearing Chidambaram’s name in the 2G scam. Some are of the view that this was PC’s way of saying ‘thank you’ to the almighty.
After ‘Coalgate’, relations between members of the Congress and those from the Bharatiya Janata Party have touched a new low. Things took a turn for the worse after the BJP coined the term, mota maal,to bolster the charges of taint against the government. But all the bad blood is spilled within Parliament. At the stroke of lunch hour, foes turn into friends, the bitterness is forgotten, and hungry Congressmen and BJP MPs can be seen trooping out together to fill their stomachs at the plush eateries that dish out mouth-watering Chinese, Mughlai, Continental and Thai dishes. The non-availability of food inside the Parliament — following the fire at Mumbai’s Mantralaya, the canteen has been shifted from the main building to the library — has helped rival MPs bake bread together. Alas, the lunch break and the friendship are rather fleeting. After the MPs return, they wage war with renewed vigour, thanks to the food.
If you thought that parliamentarians lack a sense of humour, it is time to put on the thinking cap, once again. ‘OPD’, a new term, has been coined by some MPs. Normally, an OPD — the Outpatient Department — is a place in hospitals where patients are diagnosed and given prescriptions for their various illnesses without them having to stay overnight. Parliamentarians often meet people who come to see them from their constituencies seeking solutions to numerous problems. MPs have begun to compare these meetings with consultations in the OPD in jest, arguing that like doctors they too end up treating people. The only problem is that unlike doctors, politicians seldom succeed in finding a cure for their ‘patients’.
The comrades in the Red Brigade need not behave like brothers in arms. Often, they act like brothers up in arms against one another. Take the Communist Party of India’s Gurudas Dasgupta and the Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s Sitaram Yechury. There is no sign yet that they are in a hurry to bury their differences. Dasgupta, senior to Yechury as well as to the CPI(M) general-secretary, Prakash Karat, has been heard muttering about the fact that smaller Left parties are often forced to attend joint meetings at the CPI(M)’s office. Last week, one such meeting was organized by the Left in the backdrop of the Opposition’s onslaught against the United Progressive Alliance government. This time, there was a difference in the choice of the venue. Dasgupta succeeded in holding the meeting at the CPI’s office in Parliament. But why did Yechury and Co decide to oblige Dasgupta on this occasion? Given the shrinking support base of the Left all over the country, it was important to portray a picture of unity in the ranks. But one wonders whether such gestures are enough to win the people back to their side.
FOOTNOTE
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Some days back, the prime minister was walking through the Central Hall, exchanging pleasantries with fellow parliamentarians. He, however, failed to spot Gurudas Dasgupta, who was sitting on the back benches. Dasgupta, who seldom misses an opportunity to crack a joke, quipped, “Mr Prime Minister, look at your left side also”. Manmohan Singh, who has sharpened his verbal fencing skills considerably, retaliated by saying that the Left was always lodged in his heart.
But Congress baiters did not miss the irony of the situation. The government has already been cornered by the Opposition on the charges of corruption. Allies like Mulayam Singh Yadav are proving to be slippery customers as well. So they say that the PM is on the hunt for his old friends again.
