Inside track

I.K. Gujral on becoming Prime Minister expressed a desire to cut down on foreign travel expenses. But Gujral’s economy drive was short-lived. The IAF VIP planes were used only for short trips to neighbouring countries like Male and Nepal. On longer journeys to South Africa and the USA, Gujral flew in the same maharajah class the standard for which was set by Rajiv Gandhi with a re-fitted Air-India jumbo, replete with a separate bedroom with a queen-size bed, a conference room, etc. Another jet was kept vacant as an emergency standby.

For the forthcoming SAARC meet, the MEA actually contemplated sending the press party to Sri Lanka on a heavy duty transportcarrier IL 76 which will be used for flying out the PM’s bullet-proof car. But the MEA finally opted to buy plane tickets instead realising that few senior journalists would agree to fly cattle class sitting on the benches of the rickety aircraft all the way from Delhi to Colombo.

Enemies within

From the days of Sanjay Gandhi, the sons of almost every Indian Prime Minister have been accused of being extra-constitutional authorities. Since Atal Behari Vajpayee is a bachelor, it was presumed that he at any rate would be exempt from this charge. But Vajpayee’s detractors have already focused on his foster son-in-law Ranjan Bhattacharya as an easy target to try and blemish his image. The Capital’s rumour mill attributes to Bhattacharya practically every major decision taken by the present government. Whether it is the Maruti accord with Suzuki or the selection of the next foreign secretary, interested parties point a finger at Bhattacharya. The same sources, ironically, also bemoan the fact thatVajpayee is so ineffective as Prime Minister that he is unable to get anything done in the government.

The wholly unsubstantiated whispers about Bhattacharya emanate surprisingly not from anti-BJP quarters, but from within the Sangh parivar. Bhattacharya, a hotelier by training who, though he lives at Race Course Road, has made a conscious effort to keep a low profile. But he has become a convenient pawn in the on-going battle between soft-liners and hard-liners in the BJP. Recently when two swadeshi lobbyists called on the PM, Bhattacharya could not hide his indignation and is said to have confronted them point blank for being the source of the malicious canards against him much to their discomfiture.

Double standards

Sharad Pawar has a legitimate grouse that his party is treating him unfairly. The blame for Suresh Kalmadi’s victory at the expense of Sonia Gandhi’s hand-picked candidate R.D. Pradhan in Maharashtra in the recent Rajya Sabha election has all fallen at his doorstep. Pawar’sprotests that he was merely trying to get the independent candidate Vijay Darda elected to the Rajya Sabha and not to help Kalmadi, his acolyte-turned-foe, has fallen on deaf ears. Strangely at Kalmadi’s victory party in Delhi at the Bistro restaurant, the Congressmen accused of making possible Kalmadi’s Rajya Sabha victory were not to be seen. On the other hand, Congress general secretary Madhavrao Scindia who had signed the show-cause notices of the 10 MLAs charged with sabotaging Pradhan’s election was a prominent guest at the celebrations.

Wearing two hats

During the postal strike, Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj demonstrated that she still calls the shots at Prasar Bharati. Initially, DD tried to do a professional job, covering the strike by showing footage of union leaders and deserted post offices along with the official viewpoint. But Swaraj who is also Communications Minister was furious and demanded that DD adopt a more `constructive’ approach. From then on, DD’sstrike reporting lost its objectivity and its coverage consisted largely of clips of the Communication Minister holding forth. On one occasion, Swaraj’s one-minute interview to DD on the strike could not be carried in the 8.30 p.m. Hindi news bulletin due to a technical snag. Within two days, the producer in charge of the bulletin was served simultaneously with his relieving order and his transfer order to Jallandhar.

Another recent transfer reportedly at the behest of the ministry is that of DD’s Lucknow correspondent who has been based in the UP Capital for the last 10 years and is close to the BSP’s Mayawati.

Harish Awasthy, Prasar Bharati CEO S.S. Gill’s lieutenant, has been eager to placate Swaraj of late. Ever since he was asked by Gill to remove his nameplate describing him as Director, News, Prasar Bharati since no such post exists Awasthy has no longer been enamoured of Gill. While the CEO, aware that Swaraj would replace him given half a chance, is unwilling to do the government’s bidding,Awasthy is happy to oblige. In the bargain Awasthy has not removed his controversial nameplate!