Jaswant’s tough call

It’s difficult. Maybe that’s why the name of Shankar Acharya, chief economioc adviser when Manmohan Singh was finance minister, is also doing the rounds.

Uncle Sam’s iftar party

The first ever iftar party hosted at the US ambassador’s residence in Delhi, Roosevelt House, turned out to be such a low-key affair that the few dozen guests who showed up were quite nonplussed. There was a small sprinkling of Muslim politicians — Najma Heptullah, Mohsina Kidwai, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Arif Mohammed Khan. There was an even smaller smattering of diplomats from the Muslim world, like the Saudi ambassador and, surprisingly, a relatively junior officer from the Pakistan high commission. There were some academics, a token presence from the Babri Masjid Action Committee and a few journalists.

What surprised the guests was the near absence of high-profile Muslims, some of whom are usually seen at US embassy parties. None of the retired Indian Muslim diplomats, for instance, was present. Nor were well-known figures from academia. US embassy officials explained they wanted to keep it small.

Still, the evening went off pleasantly. President George W. Bush’s message on the occasion was circulated in Urdu and the food was from Karim’s, the well-known restaurant in Delhi’s Jama Masjid area. As expected at a diplomatic gathering, the conversation revolved around Indo-Pakistani matters and the Vajpayee government’s 12-point peace proposal.

Will Mamata flower in the Janata family?

One could ask, what’s in a symbol after all? Mamata Banerjee’s answer would be, everything. She’s insisting that the two flowers election symbol of the Trinamul Congress be adopted by the new party floated by George Fernandes, before they merge. It’s a tough call even for Fernandes’ immense persuasive skills. He’s agreeable apparently but has to get the other biggies to go along with Mamata.

On one side Nitish Kumar hasn’t forgotten the Samata Party had to abandon its flaming torch symbol when it joined the Janata Dal (United) before the 1999 Lok Sabha polls. The symbol remains reserved for the party. Then, there’s Sharad Yadav, who may not take kindly to giving up the JD(U)’s arrow symbol. It proved lucky in 1999 because the JD(U) virtually swept Bihar.

The question is whether Mamata can persuade her future party colleagues that her flowers will bloom as abundantly for them. But she’s also keen to find shelter under the Janata umbrella. The Trinamul’s national council passed a resolution last week approving the merger. Fernandes’ emissary, Minister of State for External Affairs Digvijay Singh, attended the meeting as a special invitee.

Free gift, grudging acceptance

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s entourage has mixed feelings about the red carpet being rolled out to welcome it in Syria. President Bashar al-Assad is believed to have ordered all 120 members of the Indian delegation, including the security, be treated as state guests. It’s a diplomatic honour. And the PMO is reading all kinds of nuances into the gesture.

But there’s a flip side, Foreign Office sources confess. For the two days they will be in Syria, the delegates will not get pocket money. Free hospitality means no TA/DA.