Delhi confidential: Holy Birthday

Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank

Last week was Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank’s 60th birthday. The minister, who represents Haridwar in Lok Sabha, thanked everyone who wished him in a novel way. Whoever dropped by at his office in Shastri Bhawan on July 15 left with a small metal jar containing Ganga jal and a string of rudraksha beads.

Eye On Unity

With the Left facing a political-electoral crisis after a dismal performance in Lok Sabha elections, there have been talks about better coordination between the many Left parties. In this context, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury recalled a past incident in which the CPI(M) and the CPI had decided to come out with a joint statement. In order to ensure equal prominence to both parties, the statement had to be on a letterhead with both parties’ names. There were no computer facilities available back then, so the leaders had to photocopy the page after pasting the name card of both the parties on a single page in order to create such a letterhead. If it was possible decades ago with no technology available, such a unity is easier now, Yechury told comrades.