Inside track

Which is why my list of probable prime ministers in the new millennium in order of their chances consists of: Priyanka Gandhi, Chandrababu Naidu, Sonia Gandhi, George Fernandes, L.K. Advani and Mayawati. My colleague in contrast plumps for personable politicians in the 45-to-55 age bracket like Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Venkiah Naidu, Rajesh Pilot and Digvijay Singh. She forgets that in Indian politics it is the code of the lobster tank which prevails; those who rise too fast are pulled under the water by rivals even faster. A view which Sharad Pawar would readily endorse!

Members of a dynasty always have an edge over their more talented and promising rivals, but it all depend on the clout of the family. Which is why Omar Farooq, though a Central minister under 30, is out of the reckoning. Apart from the scions of the Gandhi family, Priyanka, Rahul and Feroze Varun, perhaps the one to watch is Misa Bharati. Daughter of two chief ministers of Bihar, with a powerful Yadav biradiri to back her, a brood of eight supportive siblings, an evocative name and a memorable wedding. She will have a techno-savvy computer software engineer as a campaign manager.

Though in her early twenties, she already has impressive administrative experience, having acted as the chief minister8217;s principal adviser while her father was behind bars.

By George
There are at least two members of the Gandhi family8217;s inner circle who would like to see Sonia Gandhi8217;s private secretary, Vincent George8217;s wings clipped, namely Priyanka Vadra and Satish Sharma. Priyanka is said to have even removed some chairs from George8217;s office, remarking that surely he didn8217;t need so many. A pointed suggestion that George is meant to be working as a secretary and not holding a mini darbar. Incidentally, Priyanka has started holding a special darshan for Amethi residents at 10 Janpath every Wednesday between 3pm and 5pm. The Congress party in Amethi weekly ferries 50 constituents to Delhi by a chartered bus. Priyanka diligently goes through all their petitions.

Fashionable retreat
The campaign to save the chiru by making wearing a shatoosh shawl politically incorrect, seems finally to be catching on. For the last fortnight Sonia Gandhi has not been seen in the expensive, understated shatoosh shawls which were thought to be her trade mark. She has opted instead for smart power coats in the daytime, and non-shatoosh shawls in the evening, including a brightly coloured shawl from Swat in Pakistan.

Lesser politician are even slower in getting the message. At hotelier Lalit Suri8217;s reception for Arun Jaitley, several tooshes were on public display. A BJP MP who arrived draped in the shatoosh later deposited it in her car before returning to the party. A leading Delhi businesswoman did the same after some one warned her that the WWF was passing on to the customs and income tax authorities the names of all those possessing tooshes which, it turns out, nobody cared to register in time. There are, however, some remaining black sheep in the Capital8217;s glitterati. An industrialist8217;s wife and restaurant owner clearly believes she is immune since she is still selling suitcases full of the banned shawl to visiting American delegates in Delhi.

Musical notes
Classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj was just starting to warm up for his concert of Morning Ragas in the New Delhi Municipal Committee8217;s Nehru Park, when an NDMC official asked him to stop because the VIP guests had not yet arrived. The maestro unused to such discourtesy stalked off for a walk in the park leaving his audience dumbfounded. Jasraj instructed his mainly upper-crust listeners that it was disrespectful to sit on the ground with their feet pointing towards the stage and they should squat in the traditional style. After he returned from his stroll, the concert finally began, but not before he first pointedly placed a shawl to cover the toes of former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, who had arrived belatedly and had not heard Jasraj8217;s earlier announcement.