Floating an idea

During the arguments on the plea of the Shankacharya of Kanchi before the Supreme Court last week that the criminal cases against him should...

During the arguments on the plea of the Shankacharya of Kanchi before the Supreme Court last week that the criminal cases against him should be transferred out of Tamil Nadu, his counsel Fali Nariman pointed out that there was a curious ambivalence in the Jayalalithaa government8217;s position.

On the one hand, the Tamil Nadu government had put an application before the Court that the high priest should be denied entry in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Pondichery so that he could not influence the criminal cases against him. At the same time, the TN government was insistent that the seer be tried only in Tamil Nadu. Nariman wondered sarcastically whether the Shankacharya was expected to 8216;8216;float about in the air or something.8217;8217; As the whole Court broke into laughter, a red-faced TN government counsel admitted that its application was 8216;8216;ill-advised.8217;8217;

Laloo speaks through Velu

Minister of State for Railways R Velu has announced publicly in South India that a hike in railway fares is on the cards. In the north, however, until recently his senior minister Laloo Prasad Yadav boasted that the March Railway Budget had not hiked train fares. So was Velu, a former IAS officer, speaking out of turn? Since Velu, a PMK MP from Tamil Nadu, and Laloo share an excellent rapport 8212; in fact Velu is one of the few Ministers of State whose Cabinet Minister ensures he gets to see all the files 8212; this is unlikely. Instead it seems as if Laloo wants to break the news gently through Velu that an increase in rail fares is inevitable.

Laloo8217;s populist move in refusing to hike rail fare this year has led to a financial crunch in the Railways. Last week, Laloo experienced the slipping standards personally when he travelled unannounced on the AC coach of the Capital Express from Kishanganj to Patna. He complained to a newsman that it was 8216;8216;a hellish experience8217;8217; what with stinking toilets, unswept compartments and uncouth fellow passengers.

Guest cries off

Atal Behari Vajpayee was listed as one of the chief guests at Mulayam Singh Yadav8217;s glittering dinner for Bill Clinton in Lucknow last Wednesday, but at the last minute he cried off. The former Prime Minister developed cold feet after many in his own party pointed out that his presence at the function would be hugely embarrassing for the BJP, which considers the Samajwadi Party its political opponent in UP and holds the Mulayam government responsible for the total breakdown of law and order in the State. Vajpayee8217;s presence at the dinner would have sent very wrong signals to the party cadre it was felt.

In national interest

There were sharp differences among BJP MPs over extending support to the candidature of West Bengal Speaker H Abdul Haleem for the post of the Chairman of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. At a meeting last month, Orissa MP Kharabela Swain complained that he had attended a meeting of the CPA in Namibia in 2002 where Haleem, a CPIM MLA, had proclaimed before an international audience that the Vajpayee government was fascist and the BJP government in Gujarat had committed genocide. To the embarrassment of the Indian contingent, parliamentarians from other countries had to come to India8217;s defence.

At the last CPA election, Haleem was the only one of the 60 Indian delegates who broke ranks and voted for the Malaysian candidate, even though it was decided that all would vote for the Canadian candidate. Swain was supported by Maneka Gandhi, S S Ahluwalia and others who also pointed out that for an international body, someone of the stature of the Speaker of Parliament should be fielded and not the presiding officer of a State Assembly.

BJP President L K Advani was, however, swayed by appeals from Sushma Swaraj and Pramod Mahajan that since Haleem had already been nominated by the Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee as the official candidate, it was too late in the day to change the candidate. And if the BJP took a position against a fellow Indian, it would be against national interest.

Paswan wins war of nerves

In the game of brinkmanship between Ram Vilas Paswan and the Congress, it is the latter which has backed down. Despite threats and tough talk from Digvijay Singh and Ahmed Patel that he could be removed from the UPA and lose his position as a Cabinet Minister and Sonia Gandhi8217;s more gentle persuasion, Paswan refused to relent and ally with Laloo in Bihar.

Story continues below this ad

Even though a furious Laloo is breathing down its neck, the Congress does not want to boot out an ally at this stage for fear that it might have a bandwagon effect and others like the TRS would follow suit. An additional factor was that the CPI, keen to show Big Brother CPIM its place, backed Paswan totally.

Muslim Governor, if not CM

In fact, the Congress has already devised a post-poll strategy to woo Paswan. Buta Singh will be replaced as Governor by Jaffer Sharief, who lost his parliamentary seat from Karnataka in the last election. That way the Congress can meet halfway Paswan8217;s proposal that only a Muslim should be made Chief Minister. Incidentally, the government8217;s decision to hand over to the Supreme Court the Governor8217;s report on the Bihar Assembly dissolution was a very measured one and meant to display its displeasure of Buta Singh. The government could have very easily adopted the stand that the communication between the Governor and the President is privileged and cannot be disclosed.