Cn Heard

Leftovers
During his tenure as Administrator,several UT officials went out of the way to please General S F Rodriguez. But at the time of his farewell,these people were in for a rude shock. The Governor minced no words when he described “a lot of officers from Punjab and Haryana as some of the most pathetic ones”. He even described them as “leftovers” suggesting that the governments of Punjab and Haryana deputed their worst officers to the UT. While the General’s generalisation was uncalled for,it should serve as a reminder to sycophants in the Administration that it is on the basis of performance and not proximity that they would be judged and remembered. 

Fit and fine
Several Punjab MLAs are on a fitness trail. Leading the way in shedding “excess weight” is Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal,who,courtesy a strict diet and exercise schedule,has lost weight recently. In Congress’ camp,Jassi Khangura who weighed 113.5 kg at the start of this year,claims to have lost close to 2 kg within a month. Leader of Opposition Rajinder Kaur Bhattal is also working towards improving fitness. Even Sukhpal Khaira,fit as a fiddle,who is usually seen teeing off at the Golf Club,wants to reduce a pound or two.

Change of scene
Chandigarh MP Pawan Bansal could never see eye to eye with former UT Administrator S F Rodrigues. The latter was openly hostile to the Congress and never thought much of Bansal,who in turn reciprocated the feelings with equal ferocity. But now Raj Bhavan has a new incumbent. Not only is he a Congressman,he is also close to the UPA Chairperson. Mr Bansal’s visits to Raj Bhavan,a place he had shunned till recently,have increased and he looks visibly pleased.

Chand phir nikla
Those who attended the wedding of a senior Punjab politician recently were amazed to see one of their fellow invitees. Former deputy chief minister of Haryana,Chander Mohan,came in his typical white kurta pyjama. He quickly became a cynosure of all eyes and some were heard speaking in hushed tones that he seemed to be back in the game. In fact,so deeply was his changed identity ingrained in people’s mind that many of them exclaimed,“Look,he is Fiza’s ex-husband.” While others who remembered his earlier identity recollected his name as “Chand Mohammad”.