Speaking against tradition

It was strange to see two funerals turning into semi-political rallies recently. One was the cremation of former RSS chief Rajju Bhaiya and ...

It was strange to see two funerals turning into semi-political rallies recently. One was the cremation of former RSS chief Rajju Bhaiya and the other the last rites of Ramjanambhoomi Nyas president Mahant Ramchandra Paramhans. RSS and BJP leaders including Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee were provided mikes to make speeches while the bodies were still burning. At the Mahant8217;s funeral, the speeches began before the purohit starting chanting the prayers. Obviously, they were meant to be the highlight of the ceremony because the audience that had come ostensibly to bid farewell to the main proponent of the Ram temple was seated with its back to his pyre. The more traditional ones in the gathering were askance at this blatant politicisation of a solemn occasion. Unfortunately, these days, electoral considerations are starting to over ride everything, even death.

A bad time to share

Minister of State for Sports Vijay Goel and Minister of State for Labour Santosh Gangwar are locked in a kissa kursi ka. Both lost high-profile portfolios in the last reshuffle Goel was shifted out of the Prime Minister8217;s Office and Gangwar was moved from the Petroleum Ministry. In the process, they also lost their strategically located rooms in Parliament House. Goel had the privilege of being next door to the Prime Minister while Gangwar had visibility because his office was in the section reserved for the media.

Now they8217;ve been consigned to the lowly gallery that runs past the Parliament Library. Worse, they8217;ve been put in one room and forced to share a table and chair. The room is simply not big enough to house paraphernalia for two offices so they have to take turns to sit there. Rather than fight over a kursi, Goel and Gangwar prefer to stay away. As a staff member confessed, they show their faces only 8216;8216;occasionally8217;8217;.

And his smile8217;s back

Former Civil Aviation Minister Shahnawaaz Hussain went into a deep sulk when he was shifted to the Textiles Ministry. At that time, he disappeared to Ajmer Sharief and didn8217;t take charge of his new portfolio for several days to mark his protest at the perceived 8216;8216;demotion8217;8217;. However, he8217;s finding that his present job has huge compensations in terms of spin offs. There are fashion shows to attend and designers to befriend. Hussain is now sporting a new look in kurtas styled by his new acquaintances like Ritu Beri. Who knows, he may end up competing for the best-dressed minister award. No wonder the smile is back on his face.

Hrithik at the Mahadev

The Mahadev Road auditorium was the venue of a starry evening after many months with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee choosing to unwind in front of Hrithik Roshan8217;s latest film. The importance of the occasion lay in the fact that Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani was also invited which would have had the Big Two seeing a movie together after a very long time. These days, the PM prefers the privacy of his newly-built theatre in the Panchvati complex at Race Course Road. Unfortunately, Advani could not make it because he was in Pune that day. Daughter Pratibha stood in for him at the exclusive gathering which consisted of a handful of people including Roshan senior and junior, I038;B Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and brother-in-law and Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Shukla. According to the grapevine, Roshan senior was very keen to premiere Hrithik8217;s comeback movie at the Mahadev Road auditorium because it8217;s acquired a reputation in film trade circles of being lucky.

Where have all candlewallas gone?

The excitement generated by the upcoming goodwill visit of a delegation of MPs and journalists to Pakistan to attend a conference organised by SAFMA continues to mount. BJP MP and columnist Balbir Punj was surprised to receive a call on his cell phone the other day from none other than the Pakistani Interior Minister Syed Faisal Saleh Nayat. The Minister told Punj that he had read his articles and wanted to have a chat with him away from the hurly burly of the conference. Punj is one of the 25 MPs on the delegation which for the first time includes the hawks8217; lobby in the form of four BJP MPs and three RSS members. With hardliners jumping into the dialogue business so enthusiastically, the traditional 8216;8216;Friends of Pakistan8217;8217; lobby is feeling a bit left out.