TOUGH task at hand

Senior Congress leader K V Thomas, chaired the first meeting of the newly constituted Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday.

Senior Congress leader K V Thomas, who chaired the first meeting of the newly constituted Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday, seems to have a tough task ahead. Being a loyal Congressman, the former minister will have to tread cautiously when the parliamentary panel, that examines CAG reports after they are tabled in Parliament, takes up a number of reports on the controversial issues. The CAG’s reports on the allocation of coal blocks, VVIP helicopter deal and gas pricing, which have criticised the UPA government, are some of the controversial reports that are going to come up before the parliamentary committee. With the BJP having 10 of the 21 members in the PAC, Thomas would find it difficult to adopt a soft approach to his party while dealing with the reports. The Congress has three members, including Thomas. The committee will decide its priority list in its next meeting on August 28.

EGO TUSSLE

The ego clash between a party spokesperson and a union minister from Bihar is a public secret among the BJP workers. The former was annoyed when asked if he would be the chief spokesperson among the newly appointed lot. According to him, the BJP does not have the practice of naming anyone as “chief spokesperson”. He said he might as well ask his secretary to print visiting cards with the designation. He was obviously taking a swipe at the union minister who insisted he be addressed as the chief spokesperson. He went on to narrate an incident when the union minister scolded a party leader for not mentioning all the portfolios he handles at a recent function. The current spokesperson wished to remind the minister that a cabinet expansion is on the cards and he may not be holding the portfolios for long.

MORNING ROUTINE

Manish Tiwari, who lives just across the Lodhi Gardens, has turned his time in the Opposition to an advantage, it seems. Every morning, as he goes for his morning walk in the lush green lawns of the garden, he manages to call the TV channels for his byte for the day — where he puts forth the Congress’s view on the issue of the day. As a result, he is seen hogging the limelight in the morning news bulletins across TV channels, wearing a T-shirt and the greenery in the backdrop. Since he is not a designated spokesperson of the Congress party, his frequent appearances have raised eyebrows within the Congress party circles.

POLL MOVES

The Rural Development Ministry had moved swiftly in holding consultations with various stakeholders for making changes in the new Land Acquisition Act brought in by the previous UPA government to make the legislation more industry friendly, taking feedback from states and preparing a report based on the suggestions. While the report was submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, there has been little movement on this front. It seems the government wants to wait for the Assembly elections due later this year before taking the matter ahead. The BJP government would be reluctant to antagonise farmers by diluting certain provisions favourable to them in the Act, particularly with states like Haryana and Maharashtra, where farmers are a key voterbase, also going to polls.

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