Pachmarhi Diary

Yogi casts a shadowOf all people, Mahesh Yogi was a bizarre shadow over the brainstorming camp here. The Yogi, with more money than he ca...

Yogi casts a shadow

Of all people, Mahesh Yogi was a bizarre shadow over the brainstorming camp here. The Yogi, with more money than he can count, apparently has an ardent follower in former state education minister and Congress MLA till a day ago, Mukesh Nayak. Nayak, once an aide of Ajit Jogi, was seen as a potential star in the MP Congress but fell foul with powers that be. It was then that Yogi moved in.

Apparently, he told Nayak that his party, Ajeya Bharat, would field many candidates in the coming Assembly polls and with things in a balance between the Congress and the BJP, Yogi feels, Ajeya Bharat could throw a lot of spanners in the wheel. So, Nayak was given a fleet of cars and plenty of cash as incentive to quit the Congress and spearhead Yogi8217;s party. No amount of pleas from the Congress high command worked and Nayak timed his resignation in time for the Pachmarhi camp.

He reads and vets before Sonia speaks

So, who is the man behind all that Sonia says? The mystery deepenedafter Sonia8217;s 45-minute inaugural address here which was widely rated as one of her best so far. Though she spent a mere 13 minutes addressing delegates in her valedictory address, Sonia left an impression with her first day8217;s effort. Apparently, inputs were sought from all CWC members, yes, even Sharad Pawar, former MPs, ministers and other friends. But the veto power rested with Natwar Singh. The man who is being touted as chief ministerial candidate of the Congress in Rajasthan is the one who finally reads Sonia8217;s speeches and vets them. Sonia then uses her pencil to mark out portions which may have escaped Natwar8217;s attention. The final reading is done by Natwar before Sonia goes on air.

Gastronomical Congress problem solved

A party as large as the Congress has a curious problem on hand every time it meets. Pachmarhi was no exception. With people coming from the South, North, East, West and North-East, taking care of their gastronomical needs was indeed a gargantuan task. Finally, it was givento a Bhopal topnotcher, Noor-Us-Sabah, apparently with expertise in Mughlai dishes. Only, this chain was asked to prepare dishes from all regions of the country to suit the delegates. The result was a curious mix of plain rice, curd rice, spinach fried rice, rasam, mushroom in garlic sauce, boiled vegetables, tomato noodles, tomato soup, bread, sweet raita, naan, tandoori roti and five types of salads. Hardly what a gourmet would recommend.

Scholar arrives, sits, nods and leaves

The man whose arrival was eagerly awaited, PV Narasimha Rao, came, sat, nodded, watched and left. Rao didn8217;t say a word but sat through the entire plenary session today. Yesterday, he defied predictions and attended the political group8217;s discussions under the chairmanship of Arjun Singh, Rao8217;s bitter rival. In the Congress today, Rao is the only one with scholarly credentials and PA Sangma, for one, is an ardent fan. A pity, therefore, that the Congress refuses to benefit from the man8217;s wisdom. Only Soniamade a reference to him, opening her valedictory address greeting Rao.

Wrestling to cater to the media

The media centre here was a predictable picture of chaos. With skeletal facilities, correspondents and photographers scrambled for fax machines and typewriters, the two computers being perennially occupied. But there was an added angle. Apparently, Ajit Jogi and Seva Dal chairman Suresh Pachouri, both who claim Sonia8217;s patronage, vied for credit for catering to the media8217;s needs. The result: all lines were down for most of the second day here with allegations and counter allegations flying between the Jogi and the Pachouri camps. Finally, Pachouri landed with followers touting walkie-talkies and a few minutes later, the lines were restored. One correspondent actually struggled for 10 hours before his copy could be faxed.