Sonia Gandhi?s Second Going may have won her countrymen over, but her backroom boys have never looked sorrier. Let?s take the legal boys first ? the very ones who had spent nights picking their brains and the lawbooks to find the perfect loophole for madam. And just when they thought they had convinced Sonia that the chairmanship of the National Advisory Council could not be declared an office of profit, madam decided to listen to her inner political voice, and resigned. Leaving Kapil Sibal, Hansraj Bhardwaj, Abhishek Manu Singh and co. looking utterly foolish. No sooner did Sonia?s announcement come than Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, tom-tomming his closeness to madam as usual, started claiming that he knew of her decision from the previous night. Till the PMO thought this was too much, and clarified that even the prime minister did not get wind of it till an hour or so before the announcement. A certain address on 24 Akbar Road is now a huddle of somewhat sheepish-looking men.
Priya Ranjan Das Munshi belongs to a rare breed of undeterred, thick-skinned individuals. So what if 10 Janpath has not taken kindly to his claims? There is always the challenge of sending his wife, Deepa, to the Bengal assembly. No prizes for guessing that the Goyalpukur assembly seat falls under Das Munshi?s Lok Sabha constituency of Raiganj. In this venture, the soccer-loving politician has secured the tacit support of the CPI(M). The Marxists have ensured that the NCP ? which had dashed Deepa?s previous assembly dreams from the same seat ? does not put up a candidate from Goyalpukur. If he could help it, Priyada would have loved to shift Deepa to a ?safe? seat. Guess who stood in the way? Pradesh Congress chief and Union defence minister, Pranab Mukherjee.
Did Pranabda take out his anger on Das Munshi, when he really should have directed it at...err...Margaret Alva? How dare Alva ? doesn?t matter that she?s the AICC gen sec in charge of West Bengal and higher in the party hierarchy than the PCC chief ? ask CPI(M)?s Mohammed Salim about Congress prospects in Bengal? Was Pranabda dead or what? So he threw his genteel bhadralok manners aside and asked Alva, ?Just because you have become AICC gen sec, you think you understand Bengal politics?? Do you, Ms Alva?
One industrialist who takes his role as an ?elder? rather seriously is hotelier Lalit Suri. Unlike most of his clan, who rarely attend the house, Suri makes it a point to be seen and heard in parliament. And just in case you missed his intervention in a debate, you are sure to get a beautifully printed copy of his speech. As some journos did after his thoroughly-researched speech on the budget. If only the other moneybags showed the same zeal...
Congress chief ministers are a discontented bunch of people now that the party?s Rajya Sabha nominations have been announced. Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda found that he had to support Hansraj Bhardwaj, Vilasrao Deshmukh in Maharashtra was obliged to yield a seat to the UPwallah, Rajiv Shukla, Himachal Pradesh CM Virbhadra Singh had little option but to endorse Biplub Thakur, belonging to his rival faction in the state Congress. Even ol? man Narain Dutt Tiwari was made to embrace a complete outsider, Satyavrat Chaturvedi. If there is someone who is getting to back a candidate he likes, could he put his hand up?
Narain Dutt Tiwari has, however, decided to swallow the bitter pill, if only because of the sudden vacancy in the National Advisory Council. Now that is a ?god-sent? opportunity to move to New Delhi, and he has enough experience to fill in Sonia Gandhi?s shoes. But the question is, how to sell the idea to the lady herself? Last heard, friend Motilal Vora had declined to play the messenger.
Wonder why KP Singh Deo was smiling even when Ahmad Patel called his dress a sleeping suit? Because someone had already complimented him on it, and it was none other than style icon Vijay Mallya.
When Uma Bharti roars in Delhi, can it be heard in Bhopal? The Madhya Pradesh BJP leaders did not think so. The sadhvi had rustled up quite a gathering at her show-of-strength rally at Delhi?s Ramlila ground, including among the speakers the rebel saffronite from Bengal, Tapan Sikdar. The leaders from her home state, however, were trying to give the impression that all was well in the state. Little did they know that a local cable channel would spoil their show. While bringing Uma?s rally live, they did a jump cut to the BJP office in Bhopal. And there they were, all the state leaders, glued to the TV set, their faces grim and sweating. Some were even speculating whether the sadhvi?s roar announced the beginning of their end. It is not known what the BJP headquarters thought of this neat little collage. Perhaps state leaders can hint at an unholy nexus between Uma and the cable operators.
