Himachal Confedential

The woman factor

Conveying a deeper meaning as what “corruption” really does mean,Chief Justice Kurian Joseph was at his best at a public colloquium — a monthly citizens’ interface organised by the high court and NGOs. First,he encouraged a local girl student to define “corruption” and exhorted the audience to join the drive against corruption. A moment later,when another student posed the question “who is more corrupt — a man or woman”,the chief justice replied: “behind every corrupt man,there is a woman’s greed.”

Setting high standards

Till PCC president Kaul Singh Thakur was in complete command of party affairs,he mostly organised his press conferences and media briefings at the Congress office on the Cart road. But now,he has several competitors in his home turf. Union Minister for Micro,Small and Medium Enterprises Virbhadra Singh’s favourite venue,on the other hand,has been the city’s leading hotel — Combermere. The newly appointed PCC spokesman,Kuldeep Pathania,and General Secretary Ram Lal Thakur — both Virbhadra Singh loyalists — followed their mentor’s footsteps to select HPTDC’s Hotel Holiday Home and Ashiana Restaurant respectively,apparently to give a “costly shock” to the sulking party boss — Kaul Singh Thakur. They claimed it is not a competition but all about raising the party’s standards.

Dabang neta

Senior BJP leader Shanta Kumar’s statements,mainly those directed against his own party,are no less than his guided political “missiles”. His recent letter to party chief Nitin Gadkari on the Yeddyurappa saga was a hard blow to Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal. Shanta termed the BJP having become a party of “sons and daughters” from Himachal Pradesh to Karnakata. He seems to have tried to kill two birds with one stone — Yeddyurappa. While Shanta was earlier the party in-charge,back home,Dhumal’s son is sitting MP and president of All India Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha. Opposition Congress was quick to encash on this,saying that the BJP leadership should to listen to Shanta Kumar — he is a dabang politician.