Restoring the Raj

Shortly after Manmohan Singh took over as Prime Minister, Sunita Kohli, the Gandhis’ favourite interior decorator...

Shortly after Manmohan Singh took over as Prime Minister, Sunita Kohli, the Gandhis’ favourite interior decorator, was asked to renovate No. 3 Race Course Road. The powers that be were upset with the structural changes made to the PM’s residence during A.B. Vajpayee’s tenancy. Kohli, who had restored No. 5 RCR when Rajiv Gandhi was the PM, was the obvious candidate for the job. No. 3, a gracious colonial bungalow designed by British architect Robert Torr Russell, was transformed into a nondescript modern villa during the NDA rule. Restoring it to its original glory meant removing the false ceilings, opening up the enclosed verandahs and putting back the original tiles on the floor. Even the garden was redone. A water body, presumably added for Vaastu and religious purposes, was removed. There was, however, one “eye sore “ which could not be eliminated. The Panchvati conference hall, added to the main structure during Vajpayee’s time, was too large and solid an extension to be demolished. The restoration work was completed three years ago and included waterproofing the building. The heritage bungalow is now said to be good for another 100 years. But what if the next prime minister’s idea of aesthetics differs from that of his predecessor? Will there be a fresh makeover?

Power trip

As Minister of State in the Commerce Ministry, Jairam Ramesh has done very little except tour the country, because like most Cabinet ministers, his senior, Kamal Nath, does not believe in delegating work. But ever since Ramesh has got the additional portfolio of Power, he has been acting as if he calls the shots. He announced to the media a new policy on supply of equipment for power projects and informed all power PSUs in and around Delhi that he would pay them a visit. A PSU chairperson had to fly post haste from Mumbai to be present when the new minister arrived. Though Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde is Ramesh’s boss, he has not tried to pull rank as he is rattled by rumours of being sent to Maharashtra to replace an always-on-the-edge Vilasrao Deshmukh.

Messenger’s message

It has not been decided as to who will replace Sanjay Baru, the Prime Minister’s media adviser, who leaves in July. While the PM has great faith in Baru, many in the Congress have been unhappy with him for putting his boss’s interests above those of the party. The friendly Baru is the first PM’s media adviser to make extensive use of the SMS, but at times his messages have backfired. For instance, last week he sent an SMS to newspaper editors deploring the lack of front-page coverage of the India-Africa Forum Summit. Not many took kindly to his imperious suggestion, “Please ensure front page at least tomorrow.” It wasn’t the media alone which didn’t give the conference due importance. Of the dozen seats reserved for ministers during the PM’s speech, more than half remained empty.

Young Turk turfed out

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In the recent Cabinet expansion, Sachin Pilot was supposed to be inducted as MoS along with Jitin Prasada and Jyotiraditya Scindia. But due to last-minute lobbying within the party by those envious of his rapid rise, Pilot’s name was replaced by that of Santosh Bagodia. Leaving Pilot out diluted the message of bringing a youthful perspective to the Government. Pragmatic concerns over fund raising for the party prevailed over popular appeal at the grassroots.

Straws in wind

The first hint that a Cabinet expansion was on the cards came a day before the formal announcement, when MoS, Personnel, Suresh Pachauri, bid farewell to his staff at North Block. At midnight, a senior Congress functionary telephoned those expecting a Cabinet berth, explaining that only ministers of state would be accommodated and that new Cabinet-level ministers would be sworn in only after the Budget session. DMK chief M. Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi got the hint and said she would prefer to wait. Shibu Soren, who has been waiting for long, fumed, suspicious as he is of the Congress and Lalu Yadav’s intentions. His threat to withdraw support to the Jharkhand Government no longer works as the Congress is considering pulling out of Chief Minister Madhu Koda’s Government in any case.

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