Delhi Confidential: Fresh start

Candid Admission

He did not name his predecessor but left no one in doubt about who he was referring to. At a media interaction on Friday, one month after taking over, CBI director Anil Sinha said, “I have seen how the media can build a person, then suddenly let him fall.” Responding to a question on how his predecessor functioned, he said, “What was done was done. I will do what needs to be done.”

Missing Minister

Rural Development Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh was missing from the group of ministers that met President Pranab Mukherjee to explain the government’s rationale to pass an ordinance on the Land Acquisition Act. On Friday, Singh explained why he was absent. “Efforts were made to trace me but I could not be contacted,” he told an amused audience. What Singh did not mention was that he may not entirely agree with the changes in the Act since he has stood for the farmers’ cause throughout his career. Asked whether there was pressure from industry lobbies to amend the Act, he said, “I may not be the favourite of industry people. So nobody came to me.”

Security Check

One of the first queries made by MoS for Home Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary soon after taking charge was about the level of security he was entitled to. After an assessment, he was given Z category security. The Home Ministry couldn’t give him anything lesser since the other MoS in the ministry, Kiren Rijiju, gets Z plus security, as does Home Minister Rajnath Singh.