Lodh(ed) Weapon

The wily Chief Minister Digvijay Singh has been propping up Ganga Charan Rajput, a Lodh leader like Uma Bharati with clout in the region around Jhansi bordering UP. Rajput, who left the BJP with Kalyan Singh and joined the Congress a year back, was recently appointed one of the all-India secretaries of the Congress.

The entry of Rajput, who is known as Bharati’s de facto brother, is creating problems for the fiery sanyasin. The mediators had hoped that Kalyan, also a Lodh, could be persuaded to back Bharati in Madhya Pradesh, so that his former protege, Rajput, would be neutralised.

Insider Advantage

WITH Finance Secretary S. Narayan retiring at the end of June and Revenue Secretary C.S. Rao this month, there is considerable speculation as to who will be the next Finance Secretary. One name making the rounds earlier was the dynamic chairman of the HDFC bank, Deepak Parikh. But Parikh is not interested in the job, nor is the bureaucracy going to allow the coveted post to slip out of its control.

The choice has now narrowed down to a panel of three: Petroleum Secretary B.K. Chaturvedi, Commerce Secretary Deepak Chatterjee and Expenditure Secretary D.C. Gupta. The bureaucratic buzz is that Chaturvedi will get the job. Gupta, who will be the only remaining Secretary in the Finance Ministry after Narayan and Rao retire, is from the 1967 batch and junior to the other two contenders. And the Finance Secretary is traditionally the senior most Secretary in the Ministry. Despite this handicap, Gupta may yet become the Finance Secretary.

His Master’s Choice

DURING L.K. Advani’s recent visits to Bangalore and Thiruvananthapuram, the Congress Chief Ministers of the two States, M.J. Krishna and A.K. Antony, were at the airport to receive him. Confrontationist Congress ministers like Ashok Gehlot of Rajasthan and Ajit Jogi of Chhattisgarh are annoyed with Antony and Krishna for setting what they feel is a wrong precedent.

There is no constitutional provision for a Dy PM and it is not necessary for the Chief Minister to receive him at the airport. At least two Governors, who are former bureaucrats rather than political appointees, strictly adhered to the rule book and avoided the airport ceremonies when the Dy PM visited their respective states.

If Advani’s position as Dy PM has gained widespread acceptance even in Opposition-run States it is thanks partly to his invaluable PS Deepak Chopra who makes it a point to ring up all concerned State authorities to ensure that his boss gets the appropriate red carpet treatment. No wonder Chopra still calls the shots despite an attempt by a section of the bureaucracy to clip his wings.

Stars and Swipes

MoS for External Affairs Vinod Khanna has been promoting fellow Bollywood star Hema Malini in Delhi. Khanna suggested Malini’s name for chairperson of the Censor Board, included her in the delegation for the fifth Vishwa Hindu Sammelan at Surinam and is now lobbying that Malini be nominated to the Rajya Sabha in place of Shabana Azmi whose term expires shortly.

The solidarity in the cinema world contrasts with the backbiting in the media fraternity. Journalists have been actively lobbying against their colleagues in the run-up to the nomination for a parliamentary seat soon to be vacated by Kuldip Nayar. The two main contenders: a powerful editor of a leading media group and a columnist with impeccable saffron connections.

The latter is the front-runner, since he was part of the BJP media cell and think-tank during the last two election campaigns and others in this exclusive club have already been rewarded.

Undependable Ally

FINANCE Minister Jaswant Singh spearheaded the move to drop Ajit Singh from the Union Cabinet. The cause for the BJP’s displeasure with Ajit is his recent remarks against the Central Government over its failure to enforce sugarcane procurement prices. This has reinforced Ajit’s reputation as an NDA dissident.

But what has actually infuriated Jaswant is the fact that Ajit is drawing large crowds in the Jat belt of Rajasthan where he has gone on an extensive pre-election tour on behalf of his party. If Ajit backs a third force in Rajasthan, which is accustomed to a straight fight, he could act as a spoiler in a number of constituencies. And Ajit seems determined to use his clout with the Jats as a bargaining chip during the ticket distribution in Rajasthan.

Strenuously opposing the proposal to deprive Ajit of his ministerial position is another BJP veteran from Rajasthan, Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who has a soft corner for Charan Singh’s son. Shekhawat is certain that Ajit will eventually back the BJP in Rajasthan.

Not surprisingly Shekahwat and Jaswant are in opposite camps in the BJP’s State politics, though as Vice-President, Shekhawat is expected not to take part in politics.