Delhi Confidential: Guest Appearance

AMONG THE guests at the swearing-in ceremony of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at Gannavaram in Vijaywada was former Chief Justice of India N V Ramana. He was seen sitting with Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and J P Nadda on one side and superstar Rajinikanth on the other. Prime Minister Narendra Modi briefly met the former CJI while meeting the other guests, including Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan’s brother and former UPA minister K Chiranjeevi.

Office Order

AFTER TAKING charge of his office in the ministries of External Affairs and Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Minister of State Kirti Vardhan Singh reached his residence in central Delhi on Tuesday evening to find a crowd of supporters from his constituency, Gonda, and mediapersons waiting to meet him. Singh entered an adjoining room he calls his office, and where he usually meets people, and was miffed looking at its state of disorder, with papers scattered all over the table and floor. He immediately instructed his staff to ensure everything remains in order in the office in future. After he left the room, his staff were seen directing the subordinates to tidy up the office with proper covers and curtains.

Missing Members

FORMER KARNATAKA chief minister H D Kumaraswamy’s family — his wife Anita Kumaraswamy and their son Nikhil Gowda — were in Delhi on Tuesday when the JD(S) leader took charge as a Cabinet minister. The family stayed in former prime minister Deve Gowda’s official residence at Safdarjung lane. All eyes, however,  were on those in the Gowda first family who could not make it to the oath-taking ceremony. JD(S) patriarch Deve Gowda, 91, did not travel due to age-related health issues; his older son H D Revanna is not allowed to leave Karnataka as per his bail conditions in a kidnapping case; Revanna’s wife Bhavani was granted anticipatory bail last week and their son Prajwal Revanna is in judicial custody in connection with multiple sexual assault cases. Incidentally, Nikhil Gowda has also made statements recently about taking a break from his film career and becoming a full-time politician, hinting at a bigger role in the party.