The second choice

Pranab Mukherjee has emerged as the unquestioned No 2 in the Cabinet, but the jury is still out on who occupies the next slot.

Pranab Mukherjee has emerged as the unquestioned No 2 in the Cabinet, but the jury is still out on who occupies the next slot. Recently, when Mukherjee was in Pakistan and the prime minister was away in the Philippines, the media speculated that Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil had been asked to officiate at the weekly Cabinet meeting. However, this was not put to the test as the meeting was not called in the prime minister8217;s absence.

Actually, there are indications that, following A.K. Antony8217;s induction into the Cabinet as defence minister, Patil8217;s position may have fallen a notch. Antony, junior to Patil in age though not in administrative experience, is the preferred choice of the high command.

This was noticeable at the Satyagraha centenary conference in Delhi: Antony and Mukherjee were with Sonia Gandhi on the dais while Patil and other ministers sat in the audience.

Reading Guru

Despite the mandatory disclaimers, Mani Ratnam8217;s film Guru is clearly meant to be the story of Dhirubhai Ambani, even if there are some major differences between the life story and the screen story. Interestingly, there are at least two references in Guru that seem more relevant to Abhishek Bachchan, who plays Guru, the hero, than the famous industrialist.

In the film, Guru8217;s wife is two years older than him, but Ambani8217;s wife Kokilaben was a year younger to her spouse. On the other hand, much has been made by the media of the fact that Aishwarya Rai, who is to wed Abhishek, is two years older than her leading man.Guru8217;s two twin girls are named Disha and Drishti, while Ambani had two sons. It is hardly a coincidence that the Bachchans8217; good friend, Amar Singh, has twin daughters with exactly the same names.

Crowded out

The president8217;s annual garden party at Rashtrapati Bhavan this Republic Day had probably the largest number of guests ever. Each MP was allowed to add a dozen names to the guest list. The president8217;s idea was to open up the function for the aam aadmi, but in the bargain, the exclusivity of the traditional 8220;At Home8221; went for a six. Because of the crush, security was stepped up. Ministers and VIPs were secluded in two separate enclosures and ordinary guests could not mingle with them. Several affronted invitees who make it a point to be seen every year at the do were so put off that they were heard declaring that they were not coming back next year. Particularly because they had to trudge a long distance to get to the car park.

Claiming legacies

Sonia Gandhi may be heir to the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, but she is keen to ensure that the legacy of the other Gandhi passes onto her party and her family as well. The concept of celebrating the centenary of the Satyagraha movement in a big way came from Sonia Gandhi herself. Last year, Sonia took personal interest in the programme to retrace the Mahatma8217;s steps in the Dandi march and she led the procession for the last lap. A cycle rally in Gujarat is planned for next year.

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Gandhi8217;s descendants, Ela Gandhi and Tushar Gandhi, were invited for the Gandhi conference in Delhi and Tushar has vowed to campaign for the Congress in Gujarat next year. Gandhi8217;s grandson Gopal Krishna Gandhi was appointed governor of West Bengal by the UPA government. And recently, it was Sonia Gandhi who released his brother Rajmohan Gandhi8217;s book on the Mahatma.

Not bankable

There is a ripple in the Union finance ministry and the prime minister8217;s office over a report on FOXNews.com titled 8216;Wolfowitz vs. the World Bank Board8217;. The article, criticising various bank directors, describes one director as 8220;widely regarded as a buffoon and prone to long and mysterious absences.8221;