Still insecure at Parliament

Security nerves at Parliament House have been unbearably stretched after the December 13 terrorist attack. In fact, the New Delhi police and...

Security nerves at Parliament House have been unbearably stretched after the December 13 terrorist attack. In fact, the New Delhi police and security staff guarding this repository of Indian democracy are so jumpy that a series of blasts set off panic waves at the Parliament annexe on Monday. The gates were quickly locked and hapless MPs wanting to visit the medical centre at the annexe were shooed away as the police launched a frantic drive to locate the source of the blasts.

The drama ended in an anti-climax. The noise turned out to be firecracker explosions from the nearby Delhi BJP headquarters. The new state chief, Madan Lal Khurana, had arrived for the ritualistic taking over ceremony and his supporters were loudly celebrating. The security personnel were not amused but after a long wait in the cold, the Khurana lobby was ready to risk anyone8217;s ire to announce the rehabilitation.

Antulay ko gussa kyoon aaya tha?

Minority politics in the Congress party defies analysis. A R Antulay, who has quit his post as chairman of the minority cell, has put the blame for his resignation on the High Command8217;s refusal to give his candidate a ticket in the recent municipal polls in New Delhi.

Who was this candidate who was so important to Antulay that he gave up a party chair in protest? The gentleman in question, it turns out, is Antulay8217;s barber and a very good one, it seems, because no sacrifice was too great for him. The gentleman appears to also be a good masseur with instant relief remedies for joint aches and pains. While Antulay wore the results of his skill with scissors, Arjun Singh is apparently the beneficiary of his talented fingers. And power equations in the Congress are such that what Antulay could not do for his barber, Singh did for his masseur. Singh got him appointed chairman of the Delhi State Haj Committee with ministerial rank. No wonder Antulay is in a huff. Singh plays better minority politics than him.

Pilgrim in a chopper

There are those who trek to Kailash-Mansarovar and there are those who fly. Industrialist and Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Mallya belongs to the latter category. Taking a cue from friend and fellow industrialist Anil Ambani, Mallya did the pilgrimage during the summer break, first flying in his private plane to Kathmandu, then chartering a smaller plane and finally, a helicopter to reach his destination. It turned out to be no less arduous than the trek and certainly more expensive. It took Mallya and his wife three weeks and several battles with the Chinese authorities to reach the legendary lake. A parikrama of the lake and the mountain followed by a dip in the sub-zero temperature of the Mansarovar waters left him with a terrible chest congestion for which he is still being treated. But it8217;s given him enough anecdotes to regale fellow MPs this session.

It pays to be this messenger

The Vajpayee Government has opened many doors for the RSS weekly Panchjanya and its editor, Tarun Vijay. But recently, Vijay ran up against a roadblock in the Press Advisory Committee of the Lok Sabha. The Committee turned down his application for a permanent seat in the press gallery and access to Parliament8217;s nerve centre, Central Hall.

It seems the rules do not permit accreditation for weeklies and fortnightlies. The Committee8217;s verdict was unanimous. The irony in Vijay8217;s request is that the RSS has always frowned on Parliament and the politics it represents. Nor does Panchjanya cover Parliamentary proceedings.