Inside track 8212; Not so holy

No, this is not the fodder scam in Laloo8217;s Bihar but a well entrenched system in West Bengal, where the Government has been diverting funds from Central Government welfare schemes about to lapse to district- and panchayat-level accounts without proper accountability.

The BJP charges that the diverted money was used by CPIM leaders and cadres, who adopt a holier-than-thou attitude towards other political parties.

Despite the sensational charges, such is the CPIM8217;s Teflon reputation that most national dailies did not even bother to report the matter. But the Jyoti Basu government, celebrating its 20th year in office, is undoubtedly embarrassed.

Dangerous Liaison

Glamorous former Doordarshan correspondent Neelam Mahajan Singh often makes news with her colourful and unconventional behaviour. Singh8217;s creed is that attack is the best form of defence.

Last week she filed a criminal complaint with the police claiming charges ranging from wrongful confinement to assault against five executives of the Times of India TOI group.

The newspaper management, in turn, claimed that the temper tantrums were all because she had been given three months notice and because her Cielo car had been taken away. When Singh joined the group in April she was so high up the corporate ladder that she was the first woman executive in Delhi permitted entry to the exclusive executive dining room at the Times building.

The newspaper, meanwhile, put out an advertisement along with a photograph making clear that the lady no longer worked for them.

What Singh8217;s duties were during her brief stint with the TOI8217;s TV wing are unclear, though she did pay visits to the Enforcement Directorate, which incidentally is investigating some cases against Bennet Coleman amp; Company owner, Ashok Jain.

A moot point is whether Singh actually retains her Doordarshan job since she continues to occupy government accommodation. With powerful friends like Murli Manohar Joshi, S.B. Chavan and P.R. Kumaramangalam, Singh is not governed by the conventional rules for normal government employees!

False Pretences

In Parliament last month, Congress leader Santosh Mohan Deb urged protection for the hapless class-four and class-three government employees who would be rendered homeless as a result of the Supreme Court order for their eviction on grounds of out-of-turn allotments. All political parties from the BJP to the Left endorsed his demand.

Interestingly, not a single class-three or class-four government servant figures in the list of 1,800 government employees who can retain their houses thanks to the recent ordinance.

There are, however, some senior government employees with a lot of clout. Incidentally, only five ministers were present at the meeting of the Cabinet where the decision to pass the ordinance was taken.

Both the ministers dealing with the concerned portfolios, Urban Development and Law, were missing.

Silsila Part II?

Ever since leading Gujarati weekly Chitralekha published a cover story claiming that Bollywood8217;s most celebrated couple, Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri, was separating, the magazine8217;s telephone has not stopped ringing.

So far, writer Sushma Shelly has received no denial for her story which claims that Jaya Bhaduri has moved along with son Abhishek to another bungalow in Juhu.

According to the report, Bachchan8217;s old flame Rekha is the cause of the break-up as the old Silsila has been revived. The magazine story could not have come at a worse time for Bachchan. His company ABCL is facing court cases for bounced cheques and unkept commitments.

Taxing Times

Notices sent by the Income Tax Department to the Director General TV, the head of TV News and the Director of Delhi DD have had a decided impact on news coverage in the government media.

There have been interviews with the Chairman of Direct Taxes, the Commissioner of Income Tax and the local income-tax commissioner on the national TV news of late. In fact, any news concerning the income-tax authorities is given special treatment on DD!