Fly on the wall

Happier timesDespite the tantrums thrown by the Hindutva outfits, the RSS is fully backing the Prime Minister. Panchjanya may be criticisi...

Happier times
Despite the tantrums thrown by the Hindutva outfits, the RSS is fully backing the Prime Minister. Panchjanya may be criticising Vajpayee and the Organiser may be taking on Home Minister L.K. Advani for one lapse or the other but this is just to keep their flocks in good humour.

The Government’s failure on the hijacking is a thing of the past for the RSS. The handling of the UP strike by the PM earned the RSS goodwill despite the Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh’s critical views.

K.S. Sudarshan personally congratulated the PM after the strike. The bonhomie between Vajpayee and Advani has touched new heights with both watching films together with their families. On Wednesday, they drove down together to the Mahadev Road auditorium of the Films Division to watch Pukar in the evening and enjoyed it.

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PMO’s choice
The search is on for a new Chief Executive Officer for Doordarshan. Though the present acting CEO is doing everything possible to placate his BJP bosses by hiring anchorsclose to the Sangh Parivar at a fat salary without even an advertisement the PM’s Office is unhappy about the performance of the Prasar Bharati.

Among the names doing the rounds are Omesh Saigal, Chief Secretary of Delhi who has a literary background. An editor of a newsmagazine is also in the race and trying to make peace with L.K. Advani lately using the good offices of Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley. The PMO is thinking of inducting a “professional” for the post. But the name is being kept close to the chest.

The Vadra fair
Don’t miss the joint venture of Robert and Priyanka Vadra at the handicrafts Mela organised by the Handicrafts Export Promotion Council beginning February 7 at Pragati Maidan. Robert had been participating for several years but with Priyanka joining, security forces have added problems. Priyanka is visiting the venue every day to give final touches to her stall.

Mr Trouble-shooter
But for Pramod Mahajan, the BJP’s alliance with the IndianNational Lok Dal in Haryana and Biju Janata Dal in Orissa would have collapsed. The PM rushed Mahajan when Om Prakash Chautala walked out of the meeting after the BJP leaders kept insisting on 35 seats as promised by him. Mahajan made him concede 27 assembly seats and a Rajya Sabha ticket for the BJP from Haryana. But the State leaders insisted on 30. Finally, the BJP got 29 assembly seats but lost the Rajya Sabha seat. Similarly, the BJP high command messed up talks with the BJD too. Mahajan who was instrumental in clinching the BJP-BJD deal in 1998, evolved the formula that each partner will get seven assembly seats for every Lok Sabha seat won.

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Deal behind drama
The mystery behind the last-minute entry of former Bihar Governor A.R. Kidwai as the Congress Rajya Sabha nominee from Delhi to the Rajya Sabha has been cracked. Kidwai’s name was suggested by Laloo Prasad Yadav as part of a barter deal to Sonia through Sitaram Kesri. “You nominate him from Delhi and get one RS seat from Bihar” wasthe package. The Congress will have no open alliance with Laloo and field candidates in constituencies where it is able to cut into the upper-caste votes of the NDA. Meira Kumar quit as she missed the bus in Delhi and had no hope of getting the Bihar Rajya Sabha. The Chacha, Kesri, will stage a comeback in the RS after his term expires in March.

Loyal but nowhere
Problems if the family loyalists persist. M.L. Fotedar is planning to quit Delhi and settle in Gurgaon. After being denied a Rajya Sabha ticket, he cannot afford to stay in the government bungalow for too long.