AMID HECTIC poll parleys, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan took time out Wednesday to promote Odia cuisine. On the occasion of “Pakhala Dibasa”, the day Odias across the globe celebrate and promote Odia delicacies, Pradhan invited Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh, former Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, who is tipped to be the BJP’s Amritsar candidate, and National Monuments Authority Chairman Kishore Basa to his residence. Saying the meeting was in line with the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, the minister had “heartful” discussions with his guests over pakhala — a fermented rice dish with accompaniments. Pradhan had earlier described pakhala as soul food with health benefits. A Reminder IMMEDIATELY AFTER merging his Jan Adhikar Party with Congress at the AICC headquarters Wednesday, former MP Rajesh Ranjan, popularly known as Pappu Yadav, got a mild rap from the grand old party. As senior Congress leaders were welcoming him to the party, Yadav’s supporters started raising slogans in his praise. Drawing Yadav’s attention, senior Congress leader and Bihar in-charge Mohan Prakash told him: “Pappu ji! Yeh nahi chalta yahan (This is not allowed here).” He said it should not happen at the press conference, but can be done outside. Yadav told him that those raising slogans were from the Congress. In Writing TO MARK the 75th year of the Constitution, the Supreme Court is planning grand celebrations. Among the things lined up is a collection of 5,000-word essays by eminent members of the legal fraternity. It is learnt that former judges and lawyers are writing on subjects ranging from judicial accountability to secularism.
