The good times had lasted long enough for the Congress, it was time for things to start going wrong. In fact, Sonia Gandhi could see it coming when she called up Harikesh Bahadur, the CWC member in charge of Jharkhand and Bihar early on the morning of February 27, when the results were expected to start coming in any time. Obviously, she wanted to get the low-down on the neck-and-neck race for power in the two states. Harikesh, however, was blissfully clueless. He told his party boss that he was about to switch on the TV to get the exact picture. Sonia was livid ? I too am watching TV, she reportedly told Ambika Soni. Harikesh, of course, didn?t know what the fuss was all about ? after all, everyone relies on the idiot box for updates these days. Indeed, you can?t blame Harikesh ? no one ever took him seriously despite his high-sounding post. On one occasion, the high command?s man in Ranchi did not have a car and had to hitch a ride with reporters. One another, a driver asked him to fill gas, and when Bahadur took out a crumpled hundred rupee note, made an insulting comment about how, thanks to Mani Shankar Aiyar, buying petrol worth Rs 100 was a joke. Really, with such men in the driving seat, Sonia should have known that she had little chance of coming first.
The BJP seems to have come out looking better in Bihar and Jharkhand this time, but with leaders like M Venkaiah Naidu around, it was touch and go for a while. The BJP president, heading a team comprising Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh, landed in Ranchi the day it became clear that Jharkhand was going to bring happy news for the party for the first time since its May debacle. Naidu came out of the airport to a rousing welcome by the jubilant saffron cadre. All three men were promptly garlanded, but everyone froze to see Naidu take off the garland around his neck and put it around that of Karia Munda. All eyes turned in the direction of Arjun Munda, the outgoing chief minister who expects to have another term in the hot seat. The tense moment could have been the precursor for a bitter inter-party power struggle and things could have got really messy, had not Governor Razi decided to take matters into his own hands. Perhaps the BJP should thank Razi instead of railing at him.
Indeed, the leaders will be the downfall of our parties. If the BJP has its Naidu, Congressmen, in the light of hindsight, are wondering how Ahmad Patel could have sent worthies like Ajit Jogi, Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, RK Anand and Subodh Kant Sahay, together, to Ranchi. At 24 Akbar Road, each of these men are legends. One is credited with opening his mouth only twice, once to eat and the other time to lie. The story about one is that if he asks you to come to Dum Dum airport, you are more likely to find him at the Sealdah railway station. Yet another?s confidence stems from his ability to prove that the sun rises in the west and that the seven white pigeons who took flight were actually pitch black. With leaders like these, who needs enemies?
Ambika Soni?s appointment as head of media affairs in the Congress has ended speculation and jockeying for this post. But speculation and jockeying for posts are the oxygen Congressmen can?t do without. They have now turned their attention to the other posts in the department. For the moment, the dark horse in the race to replace Tom Vadakkan as media secretary is Wasim Ahmad. The former MP has a strange way of lobbying for the post. He goes to parliament everyday and sits in the visitors? gallery facing Sonia Gandhi, in such a way that she is bound to notice him. And he leaves only when she does. At this rate, Sonia is as likely to appoint him to a position of responsibility in the party as she is to give up politics ? that is, never.
Ghulam Nabi Azad has a bee in his bonnet ? to prove that his being a Union minister had nothing to do with his wife?s getting the Padma Shri. For a while he toyed with the idea of a live performance so that the carpers could hear and decide for themselves. Invitations were sent off, but within hours were recalled and guests told that the concert had been called off. Apparently, the home ministry had objected to Azad?s description of Shamim Dev as the recipient of a national award. Until the president had actually conferred the award, he couldn?t claim she was a recipient, mandarins in the ministry said. Now the concert will have to wait until May or June, or whenever APJ Abdul Kalam finds time to do the honours.
Exceptions prove the rule, they say. And Ahmad Patel is definitely an exception among politicians who can be seen flocking in droves to wherever the flashlights are popping and the mikes are being brandished. Which is why Patel was quite mystified at the recent article in a popular English-language weekly, painting him as the man next to Sonia Gandhi in importance. It may sound fantastic but this is the first such write-up on this politician who has always been the quintessential backroom player. Not much is known about his family, or his background. Neither did the journalist have easy access to Ahmad-bhai. So when the article appeared, it is said to have embarrassed Patel so much that he called up the writer and asked why she had chosen him. And added, the seasoned politician he is, why don?t you do a profile of Ambika Soni and Arjun Singh also? Is Patel really as ingenious as he sounds or is he just being clever?
