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Journalism of Courage
It must come as a blow to the BJP that the RSS top brass has decided to stay away from the Chintan Baithak that8217;s on in Mumbai this week. Only the RSS joint general secretary who liaises with the party, Madan Das, is scheduled to sit in on the deliberations. Other leaders, like chief K S Sudershan and prominent ideologue H V Sheshadri, are believed to have politely declined the BJP8217;s invitation to attend, despite the fact that both Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani will be present. This is in sharp contrast to the Chintan Baithak that was held in Delhi in April this year where the entire senior leadership of the Sangh as well as its affiliated organisations like the VHP showed up. Having spread the word that Sudershan would be a part of the deliberations, BJP circles are now at a loss to explain his absence in Mumbai. The meeting is important since crucial issues are expected to be discussed, like whether or not to advance next year8217;s Lok Sabha polls. It seems Sudershan wants to drive home the message that he is unhappy with the reported attempts to resolve the Ayodhya tangle. The Kanchi Shankaracharya8217;s formula virtually cuts the VHP, which is Sudershan8217;s baby, out of any settlement. It remains to be seen whether Sudershan8217;s unstated boycott will prompt a rethink by the Government on the Ayodhya issue.
All in the great game
Home now, abroad later
Rajya Sabha MP and senior leader Natwar Singh has created a stir in Congress circles with his decision to sit at the party headquarters four days a week. It8217;s something he hasn8217;t done in all the years he8217;s headed the party8217;s foreign affairs cell although he had a room reserved for him. It was usually kept locked because Singh preferred to use his Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust office rather than get sucked into the politics of the AICC. Now, however, the room has been given a fresh coat of paint and a new sofa and Singh made a big show of announcing his intention of being a regular occupant. What8217;s really got party circles buzzing is the fact the visitors making a beeline for Singh are not diplomats, but Congress politicians from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab. In fact, on his first day at the AICC, Singh was accompanied by newly appointed general secretary in charge of UP and old buddy from Rajasthan, Nawal Kishore Sharma. With election time coming up, foreign affairs has made way for domestic politics.
The Master of Ceremonies
Old war horses like Arjun Singh never fade out. He was supposed to have been out in the cold after the hullabaloo over his swipes at the so-called coterie around Sonia Gandhi. But he8217;s just been put in charge of the committee that will draft the political resolution for the Congress Chintan Shivir in Shimla next month. Tis will be the most important statement from the meet because it will spell out the party8217;s policy on prepoll alliances, coalition governments and Ayodhya. Clearly, Sonia continues to see Singh8217;s shrewd political brain as an asset.
