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Journalism of Courage
A delegation of AIADMK MPs called on Natwar Singh after the Pathak Commission report. The meeting reflects the new-found interest of Jayalalithaa8217;s party in issues outside its home state. The dozen AIADMK MPs in the Rajya Sabha have been pretty active of late in Parliament. Samajwadi Party MP Amar Singh8212;who sits next to the AIADMK leader in the Rajya Sabha, N Jyothi8212;is keen to act as guide and has been encouraging MPs from the party to voice their views in front of television cameras outside Parliament House as well. The AIADMK participated enthusiastically in heckling the Government on the Indo-US nuclear deal; the CPIM8217;s Sitaram Yechury seems to have played a role in egging them on.
Women on board
According to sailor folklore, a woman on board a ship is bad luck, but INS Mumbai which transported the evacuees took special care of its female passengers, which included domestic help and a woman television correspondent. As a concession to the female presence, the ship even scrapped its practice of selecting a female playmate for its daily news bulletin.
Damned for no fault
Water Resources Secretary J Hari Narayan has moved to Andhra Pradesh as Chief Secretary. Narayan8217;s last days in the Capital were distinctly uncomfortable since his boss, Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz, was gunning for him and had transferred all his work to the special secretary. Narayan8217;s only responsibility was looking after the Indus Water Commission.
The minister, who had earlier expressed dissatisfaction with measures to rehabilitate those evicted by the Narmada dam, felt that his secretary had kept him out of the loop while informing the Supreme Court on behalf of the ministry that the height of the dam could be raised. The secretary was simply conveying the view of the special sub-group appointed to look into the question of the dam8217;s height.
Delayed dosa
When Sonia Gandhi made one of her infrequent appearances in Parliament8217;s Central Hall on Friday she was surrounded by fawning women Congress MPs, including Girija Vyas and Margaret Alva, who insisted their leader stay for a moment and have a quick bite with them. Even though she was in a hurry, Sonia ordered a dosa, and had to wait a good 20 minutes for it since the waiter rushed to the third-floor dining room to place the order8212;the item is not on the menu in the downstairs railway canteen after lunch time. A flustered former woman MP added to the delay by spilling a glass of water by mistake all over the Congress president.
When someone later pointed out to Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav that Sonia was kept waiting for her dosa, he promised to hold an inquiry since his ministry runs the canteen in Parliament. An opposition MP quipped that dosas are after all India8217;s equivalent of Italy8217;s pizza and should be available at all times.
Oops, Jaswant slips again
The Government was in a hurry to pass the Office of Profit Bill in the Rajya Sabha as the Election Commission had given a deadline of July 31 to the Chief Secretary of West Bengal to reply to its notice asking him to provide details of the posts held by several CPIM MPs. The Opposition in the Upper House was in no mood to oblige the Government and insisted that a discussion on the Mumbai train blasts be taken up first. The OoP Bill could be debated later, they argued.
When BJP MPs discovered Thursday before last that the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Jaswant Singh, had unilaterally consented to the Government8217;s time schedule for discussing the OoP Bill, there was an outcry at a party meeting. Vinay Katiyar8217;s criticism of Singh was harsh. Another senior MP walked out of the meeting to register his protest. And Shatrughan Sinha expressed his unhappiness. Singh8217;s detractors even charged that the reason he advanced the OoP discussion was because he himself was in a hurry to leave Parliament to attend his book release function. After the complaints from his party members, Singh tried desperately to reschedule the timing for the OoP Bill but Rajya Sabha Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat refused to oblige.
Lalu steps aside
Lalu Prasad Yadav is keen to make a comeback in Bihar after his humiliating defeat in the Assembly election. To ensure that the UPA wins the pending Lok Sabha by-election from Bhagalpur, Lalu is willing to sacrifice the claim of his own RJD and is instead pushing for a Congress nominee, Sadanand Singh. Lalu8217;s logic is that if the RJD puts up a candidate, Ram Vilas Paswan will try and sabotage his chances, but he would back a Congress nominee.
The BJP8217;s Sushil Modi gave up the Bhagalpur seat after he was appointed Deputy Chief Minister. The BJP is contemplating fielding Shahnawaz Hussain this time but he appear a little nervous at the prospect of a high-profile contest.
