Government closed, try again next Tuesday

While Monday was a restricted holiday for Saptami, Tuesday was declared a Government holiday for Asthami. Wednesday was yet another restricted holiday, this time for Navami. Thursday brings Dussehra and Friday Gandhi Jayanti, the weekend dovetailing neatly with the line-up. Monday is Valmiki Jayanti. So the Government for all practical purposes will open onlynext Tuesday.

The employees have the Gujral Government to thank for the gazetted holiday declared for Asthami. Asthami has traditionally been a restricted holiday.

The ministers, proving to be quite nimble-footed, have either taken off for foreign jaunts or returned to their constituencies for a long sojourn.

The US seems to be the most favoured destination. Union Industry Minister Sikander Bakht is attending the World Economic Development Congress there, in the company of Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj. Bakht’s junior in the ministry, Sukhbir Singh Badal, is also in the US on an official visit. So is Law minister Thambi Durai, participating in the India Infrastructure Summit.

Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha has hotfooted it to Canada for the Commonwealth Finance Ministers meet. Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi leaves for a week-long official visit to France and other European countries tomorrow while Tourism Minister Madan Lal Khurana is on an officialvisit to South East Asia.

Interestingly, none of the ministers is expected to return before this spell of holidays is over.

However, Power Minister R Kumaramangalam and Urban Development Minister Ram Jethmalani, were tripped by the PM just as they were all set to sprout wings. Kumaramangalam was denied permission to attend the Annual World Energy Conference in Washington (reportedly on the ground that he had just returned from a foreign visit) while Jethmalani, who was to leave for a two-week private visit to the US last week, was reportedly asked by Vajpayee to postpone his visit.

Commerce Minister Ramakrishna Hegde and Civil Aviation Minister Ananth Kumar have opted to spend the time in their constituencies. Both are camping in Bangalore and are not expected to return till next week.

All this leaves Home Minister L K Advani in splendid isolation. In the absence of the Prime Minister, he is firmly ensconced in North Block. Grappling with the Bihar crisis, he even attended office onSunday.

Bureaucrats and other Government officials are making the most of the absence of their political bosses, reflected in the thin attendance in the offices.

Such a situation had arisen during the Easter holidays last year when a series of festivals had followed each other to make it a nine-day bonanza. Things have got better this year.