PM146;s World View

External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh is peeved that he does not have a free run of the foreign office, which he believes should be his exc...

External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh is peeved that he does not have a free run of the foreign office, which he believes should be his exclusive territory.

It is Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and not Natwar Singh, who had been taking the lead in smoothing out wrinkles in our relations with Pakistan. Manmohan Singh took the initiative in inviting Musharraf for the cricket match after first calling a meeting with the foreign, home and defence ministers to discuss the issue.

From Mauritius, Manmohan Singh personally gave orders that the Delhi cricket stadium had to be completed in time for President Pervez Musharraf8217;s visit, while the MEA spokesperson took the more casual approach that if the Kotla stadium was not ready, then Musharraf would simply have to chose another venue to watch cricket. The success of the Srinagar to Muzaffarabad bus inauguration owes much to the PM8217;s support and encouragement.

Natwar had assumed 8212; particularly after J N Dixit8217;s death 8212; that because of his proximity to Sonia he would have complete freedom in his ministry without anyone from the PMO overseeing it. However, Sonia Gandhi has made it clear to Manmohan Singh that the foreign minister should refer all important foreign policy decisions to him.

Natwar Singh had hoped that Manmohan Singh as an economist would be more concerned with economic issues. But historically India8217;s bilateral relations with important countries like the USA, Pakistan and China have been shaped by the PM. This was the tradition set by Pandit Nehru and followed by all subsequent PMs and Manmohan Singh wants to follow in these illustrious footsteps.

Gimme Red, Not Orange

Under the NDA dispensation, two journalists who were invariably included in the media party on all foreign visits of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee were the editors of the RSS publications Panchjanya and the Organiser. But ever since the change in government, journalists from the Sangh publications have been struck off the invitation list. The party journal which is the favourite of the present regime is the CPIM8217;s official mouthpiece, Ganashakti. Representatives from Ganashakti accompanied Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on his trips to New York and Mauritius and are scheduled to go with him on his next trip to Moscow as well.

No Poster Boys

As party president Venkiah Naidu favoured big bold posters and made sure that the mug shots of Vajpayee, Advani and himself were included. But now that he is no longer the party chief, Naidu does not seem anxious to project personalities in the party8217;s publicity campaign.

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Naidu was in charge of the BJP8217;s silver jubilee celebrations, and, along with BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, responsible for the publicity material. The uninspiring poster for the occasion is simply the figure 25 and the party8217;s lotus symbol. There are no photographs of Vajpayee and Advani, leading to speculation that there was no agreement as to which BJP leaders should be displayed in the poster. Initially, a budget of some Rs 3 crore had been earmarked for putting out full-page newspaper ads to mark the jubilee celebrations, but there were second thoughts and the newspaper ad campaign was eventually scrapped.

Too Young for Retirement

The much talked about Cabinet reshuffle will take place only after the parliamentary budget session ends in May. The Congress high command wants to induct some of its proven administrative talent which is not being utilised. S M Krishna, who was made a Governor simply to mollify Deve Gowda, is to be brought to the Centre. Digvijay Singh, who had gone into hibernation after his defeat in Madhya Pradesh, is another ministerial probable. On the other hand, octogenarians like Uttaranchal Chief Minister N D Tiwari and the leader of the Opposition in Orissa J B Patnaik are to be packed off to Raj Bhawans.

Cross Currents

The cross currents between the MEA and the PMO are apparent not just over Pakistan. During the PM8217;s four-day visit to Mauritius, journalists were struck by the fact that MEA officers made little effort to project the PM8217;s first bilateral visit to Mauritius. It was left largely to the PM8217;s press adviser, Sanjay Baru, to put the importance of the visit in perspective.

On the day President Bush telephoned Manmohan Singh to explain that America would resume supplying Pakistan F-16 aircraft, there were clear signs that the two ministries were not working in tandem. At 7.45 pm, the PMO expressed the government8217;s disappointment over the American supplies to Pakistan. But at 11.15 pm the same night, the MEA spokesperson in a hastily called briefing gave a positive spin emphasising that the Americans had offered India a sizable arms package to compensate for the F-16 deal with Pakistan.

No Work, No Pay

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Bihar8217;s newly-elected MLAs have reason to feel bitter. Since they have not been sworn in officially they are not entitled to their perks and salaries. Now to add salt to their wounds, Bihar Bhawan in Delhi is still mulling over the question as to whether the legislators, who have not assumed their official duties, are entitled to the concessional guest rates as legislators. MLAs are charged at the rate of Rs 54 per day, but other guests have to pay Rs 254 for the same room. The ticklish issue of how much to charge the newly-elected MLAs has been put before the Chief Secretary of Bihar.