Inside Track 8212; No governing Principle

Sharad8217;s woes

Laloo Yadav does not plan to let go of the JD party presidentship without blood-letting and panicky JD leaders are anxious to placate him at the expense of Sharad Yadav. Sharad sees a ploy against him that while most of those charge-sheeted in the hawala case have been cleared by the courts, his own case comes up only after the summer vacation. This means that he cannot rake up the fodder scam case against Laloo since the hawala charge-sheet still hangs over his head. Sharad is also furious that the Government has decided to file an SLP in the Supreme Court against the High Court8217;s hawala judgment. Sharad is incidentally the only accused to confess publicly to having accepted Rs 50,000 from the hawala Jains.

Peace pact?

The fact that Prime Minister I.K. Gujral travelled with Opposition leader A.B. Vajpayee to Rajasthan and received an award from BJP Chief Minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat is indicative of Gujral8217;s attempts at conciliation in politics, even while others in the United Front rant and rave against communal forces. The BJP in turn has supported K.R. Narayanan8217;s candidature rather than opt for Sena candidate T.N. Seshan.

Significantly, Information and Broadcasting Minister Jaipal Reddy has instructed Doordarshan that news of L.K. Advani8217;s on-going rath yatra be carried daily. When the rath yatra report was missing from the bulletin one evening there was a gentle reminder from the minister8217;s office.

Delaying tactics

So eager was Sharad Pawar to head the Parliamentary Joint Select Committee re-examining the Broadcast Bill that he hinted to Sitaram Kesri that he was not interested in contesting the Congress presidential poll if he got the post. Once installed as chairman of the committee, Pawar conveniently forgot his promise.

At the first meeting of the committee there was near unanimity among the MPs over most of the Bill8217;s provisions. Pawar now wants the committee to tour eight countries before it gives its final recommendations. With such lengthy travel plans the Bill is unlikely to come up in the coming Parliament session, although the understanding was that the committee would submit its report in five weeks.

Could Pawar8217;s delaying tactics be connected with a visit by intermediaries of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch to Pawar8217;s home territory in Pune? The draft bill in its present form is disastrous for Star TV, particularly the clause which calls for at least 49 per cent holding by Indians in any TV company which telecasts in India.

Woman powerRajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Najma Heptullah and Congress MP Margaret Alva are both contenders for the Vice-President8217;s post, since the Government is keen on greater representation for women. Heptullah, leaving nothing to chance, has even changed her hairstyle so that she does not fit Sharad Yadav8217;s derisive description of a bob-cut female parkati. Both women, though eminently qualified, will in all likelihood cancel each other out.

However, feminists will be heartened to know that the President presumptive K.R. Narayanan8217;s wife Usha, who is of Burmese origin, is no shrinking violet but believes in playing an active role in the decision-making process when it concerns her husband. In fact, anyone who invites Narayanan for a function is advised to ensure that Usha is also seated on the dais and shown equal deference. The message conveyed is to ensure that Usha, who once wrote a gardening column, is content if you want her husband to accept the invitation.