Teflon PMAtal Behari Vajapyee's image at present is coated with a solid teflon layer and no matter how hard his political opponents from within and without try to fling mud at him, nothing seems to stick. George Fernandes is blamed for the Pakistani intrusion into Kargil and for his offer of safe passage to the intruders. The hawks in the BJP are criticised for talking loosely of crossing the LoC and invoking the threat of nuclear weapons. L.K. Advani is held responsible for the government's reluctance to call a session of the Rajya Sabha session to discuss Kargil. The sudden policy reversals in the Communication Ministry and granting of FM licenses were scarcely commented upon, though the PM now handles the ministry. Jaswant Singh is accused of making India toe the American line, Pramod Mahajan of snuffing out the independence of Prasar Bharati, Brajesh Mishra of mishandling the Foreign Office and Nawaz Sharif of breaking the Lahore accord. No one blames Vajpayee for anything. But if there ispraise for the government Vajpayee automatically walks away with the laurels. Today Vajpayee's personal popularity rating towers above all his political rivals. It was a different picture last year with Jayalalitha snapping at his heels and the RSS trying to rein him in. Then Vajpayee looked tired, hesitant and unwell. This year the contrast in the Prime Minister is very evident. Vajpayee emerges as confident, in total control and the bounce in his gait and the bloom on his face is back. It will be a tough act for Sonia Gandhi to prevent Vajpayee from getting a second term as prime minister. At this point it is not his political opponents but the bumblers in his own camp who pose a threat to Vajpayee. An indication of which way the wind is blowing is that even the shrewd Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is now veering around to a seat-sharing arrangement with the BJP.Reverse gearSo determined was the new Law Minister Ram Jethmalani to make his former junior and friend S.B.Jaisinghani the Solicitor General despite the objections of Attorney General Soli Sorabjee, that he threatened to resign if his proposal was not approved. But Jethmalani was deflated when he learnt that the Prime Minister would not try to stop him if he felt like stepping down. Meanwhile, Jethmalani's successor in the Urban Development Ministry, Jagmohan is attempting to undo some of the damage caused by his predecessor. Jethmalani's once all powerful private secretary, the flamboyant K.J. Alphonse, has very little work after Jagmohan's arrival. Before shifting his ministry, Jethmalani had cleared a proposal sponsored by Alphonse for carving out a three-acre plot from land earmarked for a park in the Andrews Ganj complex for an educational trust. Jagmohan has ordered that the land be reverted to its original use. The new minister is reviewing Jethmalani's order to reverse the 30-year-old acquisition of 60 acres belonging to the Sita Ram Bharatiya trust. Similarly, Jethmalani's attempt to circumvent a courtorder calling for the demolition of 200-odd flats constructed by a builder on corporation land in Model Town has been foiled by Jagmohan.Two-in-one cloutFrom Jitendra Prasada to Amar Rizvi and Begum Noor Banu, there have been many grumbles about Salman Khursheed's authoritarianism as Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president. Now there is fresh heartburn over the growing clout wielded by Khursheed's wife, Louise Fernandes, in the party. Sonia recently formed a 14-member media committee headed by Pranab Mukherjee, which co-ordinates with the media and vets the names of journalists for granting access to Sonia. Though Louise is not a member of the media cell, she often spends her day at the AICC's newswatch centre for she believes that as a former journalist she knows best how to deal with the Press. In the bargain, Louise has virtually appropriated the position of media adviser to the Congress, though the official media committee is in the dark about her activities.Louise's skill as a mediamanager is questionable. Last month she took a large group of journalists to cover Sonia Gandhi's first election rally in UP at Varanasi which was organised by her husband Khursheed. Press reports of the rally were decidedly negative, with derisive comments about both the poor turn-out and virtual boycott by the local Muslims. But Congressmen do not dare to protest at Louise's interference since they believe she has the blessings, if not of Sonia herself, of her private secretary V. George.Ageing CMWest Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu may be the oldest chief minister at 82, but at last week's chief ministers' conference in Delhi it was Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, 76, who looked the most frail. Karunanidhi's mind is still alert, but he needs the support of two attendants to move around. Because of his poor eyesight a torch lit up the stairs at Tamil Nadu house in the early afternoon so that he could feel his way around. Not surprisingly Karunanidhi's personal physician accompaniedhim to Vigyan Bhawan for the conference. Top
