Artistic licence

For some time now,Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee could be spotted doodling in the Lok Sabha when bored with speeches of fellow members.

For some time now,Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee could be spotted doodling in the Lok Sabha when bored with speeches of fellow members. However,her party member Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar put her creative skills to instant use after Left members trooped in to the well carrying placards,which called for a stop to violence against Left Front workers in West Bengal. By the time the House met after an adjournment,Dastidar was ready with a counter-display. So,when the battle-lines were drawn,her set of placards,quickly handed to Trinamool members,showed some bones with bold letters proclaiming: Skeletons from CPIM cupboard.

Hard Landing

After the surfacing of the fake pilot scam,and allegations of its officials being involved in serious irregularities,air safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation DGCA is trying to put its house in order. In a first,it has barred external stakeholders like airline,airport and other operators from entering the offices of section officers and below,and asked them to deal with director level officers alone. Signboards have been put at its headquarters as well as regional offices banning their entry. A senior DGCA functionary pointed out that unhindered access hampered routine work and a lot of time was spent in dealing with their requests. This has left the corporates high and dry as they were till now used to getting their work done in a matter of hours.

Identity Crisis

So influenced is the BJP with the Anna Hazare agitation,it is losing its own identity. Or so it seemed on Thursday evening,when BJPs youth wing decided to take out a march to India Gate from the party headquarters. News spread within the BJP office that a crowd of Anna supporters had gathered to protest outside. It became clear only later that the crowds were actually members of the Yuva Morcha. The confusion,some noticed,arose from complete absence of BJP flags in the crowd. Everyone was carrying the national tricolour which has been made so fashionable by the Anna agitation. Some of the workers were then asked to bring the party flag as well,lest their effort go unnoticed.

Inspirational Moment

Under attack from all sides on the stalemate on the Lokpal Bill,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had a lively interaction with some opposition members in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday after the House was adjourned for a brief while in the morning. While most of the members walked out,the Prime Minister remained seated,prompting a few opposition leaders,including Sitaram Yechury and D Raja,to walk up to him for an informal chat. As suggestions were being made on how to end Anna Hazares fast,the Prime Minister,to their surprise,is said to have brought up the idea of having a full-fledged discussion in Parliament on all the different versions of the Lokpal Bill. Minutes later,the Prime Minister officially made this very suggestion in the Lok Sabha,which now is being seen as the main offer to end the face-off with the Anna camp.

Communication Problem

The Congress Parliamentary Party CPP meeting on Anna Hazares fast was perhaps reflective of the confusion in the party over the issue. The meeting was to include a briefing session for Congress MPs by Leader of Lok Sabha Pranab Mukherjee on the impasse but many backbenchers could not be properly briefed as the audio system at the back of the hall was not working.