Even the reds come in different shades. During Hu Jintao’s visit to India, most issues on the diplomatic table were solved easily, but there were a few unexpected hurdles off it. For instance, the Chinese president refused to be put up at the Maurya Sheraton and decided to set up base at the Taj Mansingh instead. The reason? Sheraton had hosted Bill Clinton and George Bush — sworn enemies of the proliteriat. However, the Maoist leader, Prachanda, a man who swears by the Red Book, had no no such qualms about staying at the Sheraton when he came down for a visit. After a hard life in the jungles, the comforts of the Sheraton must have lifted his spirits. The only time he made a face was when he discovered that there was no one to welcome him at the hotel. A frantic search later, the management got hold of a woman to garland the leader. That must have done the trick, as the rebel leader went on to declare later that India was a vibrant democracy and a model for his country.
Hu Jintao’s visit has not exactly left everybody pleased. Take for instance IK Gujral. The former PM was keen to take a listen to Jintao’s keynote address at Vigyan Bhawan. Accordingly, he and his wife reached the venue early and took up his seat in the front row. However, even as the premier stepped in, members of the Chinese delegation asked the Gujrals to make way for the president and his wife. A miffed Gujral complied with the request and retreated to the third row. Soon, he was spotted by Indian officials who took up the matter with their Chinese counterparts. The visitors realized their mistake and pleaded with Gujral to return to his earlier seat. But Gujral was unmoved, and retorted that he was doing just fine. His face told a different story though.
Meanwhile, the BJP continues to be a divided house. This was evident from the nature of the rally that the party had organized to protest against the UPA’s policies on the opening day of the winter session. Rajnath Singh, by virtue of being the president of the party, should have had the honour of leading the morcha. But Advani would have none of it and was intent on securing a share of the spoils. As a result, the rally was divided into two sections, with Singh leading some rallyists while the others followed Advani. But there is no doubt about who the real leader is in the BJP. As soon as the two sections converged near the parliament house, Vajpayee emerged on the scene and enthralled the audience with his trademark comments.
Everyone knows that our politicians have deep pockets. But what often goes unnoticed that they have large hearts. Some, in fact, are in the habit of leaving a hundred rupee note even for a paltry bill of Rs 12 in canteens. But such generosity comes at a price.Many regulars at the Central hall of parliament now find that the waiters are unwilling to attend to them since they are not known to leave hefty tips.
Now for matters closer to the heart. Sudhanshu Trivedi, the speech-writer to the BJP president, is a lonely man. He has not been able to get himself married owing to a problem in the stars. Trivedi is a manglik, a sign that is considered to be particularly inauspicious when it comes to marriages. At a recent dinner meeting, Sanjay Jha, a BJP leader from Bihar, asked Trivedi where he lived in Delhi. When Trivedi named a guest house, a surprised Jha asked him where his family lived. Trivedi then poured out his heart and told him the reason behind his single status. Arun Jaitley, who was all ears, fixed the problem quickly. He assured Trivedi that the next time his party came to power, the Constitution would be amended so that it would not be necessary for a manglik to marry only a manglik. Now, Trivedi is one man who would be hoping that Jaitley and Co. come back to power soon.
Punjab governor SF Rodrigues is an expert angler. But the other day, he found out that he was fishing in troubled waters. The governor and his wife were on a tour to Ropar when they came to the banks of the Sutlej. Without losing any time, Rodrigues got ready with his fishing rod and began waiting for a catch. Minutes turned into hours and yet nothing stirred at the end of the line. Even the police and the administration were pressed into service, but there was no fish in sight. Finally, after five long hours, luck smiled on the governor. One fish was caught and those in attendance sighed with relief. Rodrigues was congratulated on his success and the party decided to move on after a long hard day.
The Indian cricket team was torn to shreds by the rampaging South Africans in the second match of the one day series. But the selectors have no reason for worry. They should simply show Greg Chappell the door and appoint Baba Ramdev as the coach of the team. For the Baba claims to have found a way to fix India’s batting blues. While inaugurating a camp in Jabalpur, Ramdev said that Indian players should start practising yoga and stop promoting products that increase “carnal pleasures” and encourage luxury. But not everyone was willing to accept the Baba’s divine advice. Someone in the crowd asked that how it is that the likes of Ponting and Lara were scoring tonnes of runs despite promoting alcohol and fizzy drinks, which, the Baba claimed, affected one’s showing on the field? For once, Ramdev preferred to stay silent. But then, can one really expect wise men to pay attention to such thoughtless comments?
