Last Gandhian Standing

Upholding Gandhian values, Antony dons khadhi dhotis even though many of his party colleagues have graduated to polyester and silk. The Chief Minister travels in the homespun, dumpy Ambassador, while other Cabinet ministers in the UDF have opted for fancier foreign makes such as Lancers and Astras, and one minister even boasts of a Mercedes.

Antony travels by economy class when flying, eats at the Secretariat canteen and is yet to travel abroad as CM, though officials have been urging him to make a trip, at least to the Middle East, to solicit foreign investment for the state.

BBC turn YPF

When the group was first formed it was known as the Back Benchers Club (BBC). A ginger group of newcomers cutting across party lines like Jai Panda, Rajeev Shukla, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Sanjay Nirupam, Abha Mahato, Ram Mohan Rao, Ratna Singh and Sangeetha Kumari Singh Deo.

But two years down the line, this club of young, informed and articulate MPs, now around 40-strong, no longer sits only in the last rows — one of them, Prasad, has even become a minister. Which is why it was decided to re-christen the club as the Young Parliamentarians Forum.

Like most youth bodies in this country there is no definite cut-off date for membership. Arun Jaitley who has just turned 50 has been an honourary member, but when some older MPs expressed an interest in joining since it seemed a jolly and happening club they were told politely that they were past the cut-off year.

Garden Variety

Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee was pleasantly surprised when President Abdul Kalam arranged a breakfast meeting with him not in the Rashtrapati Bhavan dining room, but in the middle of the Mughul Gardens. A green canopy had been erected, a Persian carpet spread over the lawns and liveried bearers served a variety of South Indian dishes.

The fountains played, birds twittered and the brilliant colours of the dahlias, salvias, pansies, phlox and roses offered Vajpayee a temporary respite from the worries of the world.

Not all visitors to Rashtrapati Bhavan, however, are as impressed with Kalam’s hospitality. Last month when the Opposition called on the President with a memorandum urging him not to preside over the unveiling of Savarkar’s portrait in Parliament, the President accepted the letter matter-of-factly but ended the meeting quite brusquely. Kalam who believes in time management does not encourage chit chat with his visitors and does not always offer tea or coffee to his guests.

Hanging Savarkar

An aspect of the controversy over the installation of Veer Savarkar’s picture in Parliament’s Central Hall which has been ignored is that there was no room for the painting, since the hall was already full with 23 portraits of national leaders.

To accommodate Savarkar, space could only be located under an arch in the adjacent corridor.

Since wall space in Parliament is limited, MPs are increasingly commemorating their heroes by installing sculptures in various nooks and crannies.

And many of the new artistic additions are unrecognisable to the average person. Deputy PM L.K. Advani confesses he has no clue as to the identity of the statues in the corner of the anteroom to his office.

The General Purpose Commission, which includes leaders of all political parties, approves the names of those whose pictures and sculptures can be placed in Parliament, though Opposition MPs admit they were caught napping over Savarkar. But, instead of just clearing names it would help if the committee also took into account the artistic merit of the pieces to be placed in Parliament. Disproportionate, amateurishly executed statues are scattered all over Sir Herbert Baker’s neo-classical monument which was conceived after much deliberation and consultation.

Mahajan’s Van Vaas

Though he has moved from the government to the party, BJP general secretary Pramod Mahajan prefers to operate from his house. Mahajan’s office at 7 Safdarjung Road has all the latest accessories and a trained personal staff, while his room at the party headquarters at Ashoka Road is far more spartan, even though it was previously occupied by L.K. Advani.

Fellow general secretary Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi does most of the press briefings and is therefore more visible, while Mahajan spends a lot of time travelling in connection with preparations for Assembly polls later this year. Mahajan desperately needs a State Assembly victory to reinforce his usefulness as an organiser. He is banking on Rajasthan since he is a good friend of state party chief Vasundhara Raje and former Rajasthan strongman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, whereas in MP, BJP party chief Uma Bharati does not take kindly to interference.