Delhi Confidential : A new beginning

His “personal life story” on the official website of the PMO has a link to his own website www.narendramodi.in

While a massive mandate in the Lok Sabha elections has silenced Narendra Modi’s critics who have been questioning his secular credentials, the Prime Minister’s Office is also doing its bit to recast his image. His “personal life story” on the official website of the PMO has a link to his own website http://www.narendramodi.in which states: “As a child, he often celebrated Hindu and Muslim festivals considering the large number of Muslim friends he had in the neighbourhood.”

File Tracking
The Railway Ministry has issued a note to its officers saying it has “come in for severe criticism” thanks to the report on the missing confidential files. The note, by Railway Board Secretary P C Gajbhiye, has asked officers to conduct investigations into the missing files and says it shows “laxity on the part of all concerned”, adding that in case of a missing file, “it should be possible to fix responsibility on a single individual”. It has also sought suggestions from all officers on how to improve the system of protecting files.

Power orridor
Women staffers at the HRD Ministry are particularly impressed by minister Smriti Irani. On the day she was to take charge, women lined up from across ministries to take a look at the most famous ‘bahu’ on Indian television with many even asking for her autograph. However, it is her outreach to staffers last week that has won her many admirers. During her walks down to the ministry’s many offices, Irani is said to have told all women staffers that if they face any kind of sexual harassment at work, they should simply walk into her office and complain to her.

Housespeak
The oath/affirmation taken by newly elected Lok Sabha members throw up some interesting facts about the cultural moorings of the new House. As against 10 members who took oath in Sanskrit last time, the number of oath in Sanskrit this time was 38. In contrast, the number of members who didn’t “swear in the name of God” has declined over previous House. As against 86 members who took affirmation, the BJP dominated Lok Sabha this time had only 39 members resorting to affirmations. The number of those who took oath in Hindi has declined (from 232 to 199) while those who chose English have risen (from 100 to 112) over the previous Lok Sabha.

Palate Affairs
Though External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is a pure vegetarian, the lavish spread for the visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had macher jhol (Bengali fish curry), murgh rihana, sula kabab and jhinga samarkand — dishes from Bengal to Afghanistan. Kashmir’s nadru yakhani (lotus stem dish) was also on the menu, apart from bhindi kurkuri, moong dal tadka, matar pulao, lauki nazaqat and paneer rihana. For dessert, there were kesar kheer and fresh mango cheese cake, besides fresh fruits. The meals started with shatwar ka shorba and ended with herbal tea and Mysore coffee. However, both Sushma and Wang were seen to be chatting away during the lunch.

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