Inside Track

An interesting fall-out of the formal arrival of Sonia on the scene is the speed with which long-time Gandhi family baiters from the Left, have changed their tune. Calculating that Sonia will be the new power-centre and the only woman who can stop the BJP, they have suddenly shed their apprehensions about dynastic rule and Bofors has been forgotten. These arm-chair pundits are now in rhapsodies over Sonia’s style, her looks and her pulling power.

A section of the BJP is equally intimidated by the mystique of the Gandhi name. Actually, the real crowd favourite is not Sonia Gandhi, despite her determined attempt to mould herself completely on her late mother-in-law, but Priyanka. In all probability Priyanka will stand from the Amethi parliamentary seat.

Up or down

While Doordarshan CEO S.S. Gill pats himself on the back for what he considers the organisation’s new-found professionalism, old-timers in DD grumble privately about slipping standards. The other day, a news reader announced that Vijaya Raje Scindia was going to contest from Pune and not Gune (Guna). Kalpnath Rai could well sue the organisation for slander since he was described by a correspondent as having spent 10 years in jail.

DD’s star correspondent freelancer Prabhat Dabral was asked to interview the new Chief Justice M.M. Punchhi. He started off with the irreverent question, "What was the controversy regarding your appointment?" A furious Punchhi ended the interview abruptly with the remark, "You can’t put this question to me!" Considering that the controversy had ended after the Chief Justice’s appointment, it was definitely not appropriate for DD to try and rake up the issue in such a flippant manner.

While the DD CEO has claimed he does not want commercialisation to take precedence over DD’s responsibilities of public welfare, last Sunday the very popular weekly news bulletin for the deaf and dumb was slashed from 15 minutes to three-and-a-half minutes to accommodate the Independence Cup cricket telecast. And considering that Gill claimed he wanted to do away with religious themes in serials, the footage in slow motion of godman Satya Saibaba descending from the heavens and down to earth, telecast on several DD news bulletins as part of a visual for the inauguration of a new cricket stadium was, to say the least, very surprising!

Hasty pudding

Is it appropriate for the caretaker Gujral government to appoint a new GSA (General Sales Agent) for Air India? The GSA in question is for the Gulf sector of the national carrier, AI’s most lucrative sector with a growth rate of 28 per cent. The earlier GSA based in Kuwait has been dropped and Civil Aviation Minister C.M. Ibrahim and AI’s acting Managing Director Michael Mascarenhas seem very keen to tie up the new deal before the arrival of the next government.

Separate tables

On Monday, a guest at a popular Chinese restaurant in a Delhi five-star hotel was intrigued by the well-known personalities all around him. Sitting at one table was the Prime Minister I.K. Gujral’s artist brother Satish Gujral and his wife. At another table was Priyanka Vadra and her husband. When Satish left, he handed over an envelope to Priyanka. At yet another table Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh, known as Mr Fixit, was taking in the whole scene very intently.

Cabinet carpentry

An attempt by the Vajpayee camp to keep L.K. Advani out of the electoral fray on the ground that one of the duo was required for organisational work, was stymied. In the event of the BJP forming the government, Advani will almost certainly be given the designation of deputy prime minister. And while Murli Manohar Joshi presumes that the portfolios handed out in the short-lived Vajpayee Government of 1996 will be the benchmark for future allotments, in fact, it could be a very different cabinet this time.

Advani is bound to be given either the prestigious Finance or Home portfolio. The hiccups created by disappointed BJP leaders in cabinet selection — last time Sikandar Bakht had sulked till he was given External Affairs — could be minor compared to the likely tremors over accommodating the BJP’s allies. An anarchical, old socialist like George Fernandes is unlikely to be fobbed off with the Railway Ministry, as the BJP’s think-tank calculates. Navin Patnaik of the BJD with his refined tastes in art and literature, is hoping at the very least to head the Department of Culture in the HRD ministry. S.S. Barnala of the Akali Dal also wants an important portfolio, not just Agriculture.