ACTOR-POLITICIAN Suresh Gopi, who opened the BJP's account in Kerala with his maiden win in the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency, has been rewarded with a Cabinet berth as the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas as well as Tourism. When Gopi, whose family is settled in Thiruvananthapuram, came to the national capital to take oath as an MP and to attend the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, he brought a gift for Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had taken special interest in ensuring his poll win. The MP presented the PM with an idol of Lord Ganesha, made with sandalwood paste, which he had brought from the famous Pazhavangadi Sree Maha Ganapathy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram. New Guard, Old Guide The CISF, which was handed over the security of the Parliament complex earlier this month, was meant to replace the Parliament Security Service (PSS) that came into existence with the formation of the Watch and Ward Committee in 1929. However, ahead of the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, a section of the PSS was called back and asked to assist the CISF personnel deployed on the premises. The PSS officials were not given any particular duties, just asked to help the new team. Sources said there have been many goof-ups and minor security breaches in the Parliament complex in the last three days. Persons other than MPs have walked into lobbies exclusively meant for MPs, while a prominent personality and nominated MP in the Upper House was stopped at the main gate as she didn’t have her identity card, said the sources. Higher authorities had to intervene to get the MP inside the complex to attend the NDA meeting. Red Caps Galore Leaders and supporters of the Samajwadi Party, which has the third largest number of MPs in the Lok Sabha, seem to have occupied a major portion of the Western Court hostel, which is allotted to MPs till they get an official residence in the Capital. The Western Court is currently seeing a large number of people donning the SP’s signature red caps. Apart from the party’s strength in the Lower House, one of the reasons for their abundant presence in Delhi is the proximity of the Capital to Uttar Pradesh. The UT shares its boundary with the state, making it easy for the SP workers to reach here to support its leaders.
