Sleuthing tour

The jury is still out on whether the Election Commission thwarted the Centre8217;s plans to dissolve the Uttar Pradesh assembly or actually provided a face-saver on request for the government to not have to carry out its threat. If the latter view is correct, then even the very senior leadership of the Congress party was out of the picture and it was entirely a governmental decision. One smells a rift between the two wings on the issue. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul had made it clear that they favoured President8217;s Rule in Uttar Pradesh.

Dipping graph?

The lunch hosted by Union Culture Minister Ambica Soni at her house last Sunday had more representatives from the world of culture than from the Congress. Among those present were sarod player Amjad Ali Khan, actor Nandita Das, designer Rajeev Sethi, and dancer Raja Reddy. And among the few senior members from the Congress were Ashok Gehlot and Janardhan Dwivedi.

When Congress president Sonia Gandhi8217;s political secretary Ahmed Patel arrived, Soni joked that since the media constantly wrote about her dipping graph, Patel8217;s presence at her do should improve her standing. Soni is conscious that her position in the Congress hierarchy has slipped over the last two years, even as Patel8217;s has steadily gone up. Soni was reduced to travelling by road throughout her entire campaign trail in Punjab, sometimes in pouring rain, since her party did not provide her a helicopter for even part of the journey.

A coat tale

A well-known producer-director entered into a contract with a leading European producer of high-fashion coats and handbags. The designer-ware was prominently on display in his multi-star cast mega movie. The firm hoped this would generate interest in its high-fashion products. The company8217;s agreement with the film producer was that after the release of the movie the actors were free to take home the handbags and suitcases used as props. The only stipulation was that two very valuable overcoats had to be returned. The producer is now on the horns of a dilemma: His superstar is so comfortable in his fur-lined coat, he does not want to part with it.

Food for thought

Paul Volcker, who headed the inquiry into the oil-for-food scam in Iraq that led to the downfall of Natwar Singh, was in Mumbai last week to speak at a Saarc conference on economic transparency. He met Reserve Bank Governor Y.B. Reddy.

In Delhi he called on US Ambassador David Mulford. Volcker and Manmohan Singh are old friends from the days when Volcker was chairman of the Federal Reserve and Singh was RBI governor and finance secretary. The PM8217;s media adviser, however, clarified that Volcker had not met Singh on this visit.

Combustible combine

The guest list at the dinner party at L.K. Advani8217;s house early this month aroused considerable curiosity among his party colleagues. There were Jewish rabbis, Hindu seers, two Imams and some Islamic scholars. Adding to the cast was Subramaniam Swamy, who may be very friendly with the RSS but is not exactly a favourite of the BJP top brass, particularly A.B. Vajpayee. Swamy was invited by Advani at the instance of Swami Dayanand Saraswati, a guru who has ashrams both in India and abroad. The rest of the guest list was apparently put together by BJP secretary Balbir Punj.