Secret Supporters

Jaitly, who had hoped that Gilani would be freed in time to celebrate his son’s birthday, decided in the face of the Home Ministry’s continued adamancy that her best recourse would be to agitate as if she were back in the Opposition. She threatened to despatch photocopies of the supposedly secret document to her Samata Party workers so that the home ministry would be compelled to arrest her as well. Fernandes is believed to have contemplated resigning if the justice was not done.

Their efforts may have saved Gilani but who’s going to plead for the 55 others incarcerated under the same act, many for possessing documents which the authorities needlessly and arbitrarily deem to be official secrets.

Cabinet Carpentry

NO dramatic announcements are expected in the Cabinet shuffle likely to take place after February 26. Keshubhai Patel, who lost his state to Narendra Modi, has been persuaded to join the central government. Rajnath Singh’s move to Delhi is less certain because of the impending Uttar Pradesh elections.

The DMK ministers will continue in the NDA government. Vasundhara Raje Scindia and Uma Bharati are likely to finally quit their posts and take charge of their respective states. The Government’s unhappiness with Shatrughan Sinha and Jana Krishnamurthy could find expression. Sinha, who has upset the entire bureaucracy in his ministry by his flamboyant and erratic style, may get a lesser portfolio. Krishnamurthy, who has little to contribute to his ministry but nevertheless keeps his dynamic junior minister Ravi Prasad Shukla away from important files, could be axed. Krishnamurthy has already assumed a martyred air and talks resentfully of retiring to Chennai if asked to go. When one is past 72 and not in good health, it is not a bad idea at all.

Spoilsport Ministry

Unlike his hands-on samdhi, Labour Minister Sahib Singh Verma, Madhya Pradesh’s Jat leader Vikram Verma is totally clueless in the Sports Ministry. People who telephone his office for an appointment are taken aback to find that a peon frequently picks up the minister’s official phone and does not pass on messages.

For this year’s Republic Day awards, parliamentarian Rajeev Shukla recommended Rahul Dravid for a Padma award. He discovered that the Sports Ministry had not bothered to forward Dravid’s name to the Padma committee, or, for that matter, that of any other cricketer.

The Law Ministry was recently asked by an official in the Sports Ministry to oppose the PIL filed by N K P Salve challenging the release of foreign exchange for the World Cup advertising in case Indian cricketers were penalised. When Verma was asked why the Sports Ministry was siding with the International Cricket Council against the Indian team, Verma confessed that he had no idea that his ministry had issued any such instructions to the Additional Solicitor General.

Political Move

The extensive media coverage of Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s death is not merely in recognition of his literary stature. Amitabh’s Bachchan’s important friends in the industry and politics went out of their way to ensure that the poet received a memorable farewell.

In the bargain, the superstar’s brother, Ajitabh, was pushed completely into the background. When Harivansh Rai’s ashes were to be taken to Allahabad and Varanasi for immersion, Home Minister L K Advani was requested to speak to the Mayawati to ensure that the high-handed chief minister did not harass the huge number of Samajwadi Party workers who would be among the mourners. A furious Mayawati accused the SP of trying to demonise her to make political capital.

Holiday Home

Though there has been speculation that Narendra Modi riding a Hindutva high would be the BJP’s star campaigner in Himachal Pradesh, minority bashing cannot really work in a state with a four per cent Muslim population.

Prime Minister Vajpayee may have been cast in the shade by Modi in Gujarat, but in Himachal, he will once again be the BJP’s star campaigner. Poll surveys indicate that Vajpayee has a very high approval rating among voters and the party hopes to cash in on his image.

After all, Himachal is Vajpayee’s second home since he has been regularly vacationing in Manali. Himachalis are grateful to the PM for frequently announcing generous central assistance for many development projects in the state during his annual holiday there.