Beach Therapy

It is not just all work and no play for comrades congregated at Kozhikode for the CPM national meet

It is not just all work and no play for comrades congregated at Kozhikode for the CPM national meet. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee may have skipped the meet citing ill-health,but his colleague from Bengal,Gautam Deb,has arranged for Ayurveda treatment at the famous Kotakkal treatment centre alongside the Party Congress sessions. Many others start the day with a stroll at the beach.

One could spot M Y Tarigami from Jammu and Kashmir on morning walk at a popular stretch with his securitymen following him. Some like T K Rangarajan from Tamil Nadu are enjoying their special yoga sessions on the beach. In between discussing ways to reform the partys ideological moorings and chalking out future strategies,many comrades,especially from the north,are also going for sight-seeing trips.

On the Run

The National Investigation Agency NIA is facing a major problem. The agency has found that in the 35-odd terror-related cases that it is investigating,there are nearly 75 accused on the run who have been declared proclaimed offenders by various courts. So much so that it has taken the unique step of forming a special team just to go after these offenders so that the cases dont drag on.

Sonis Victory

Information amp; Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni might have been disappointed at not being able to contest the last Lok Sabha election from Anandpur Sahib despite having assiduously nursed the constituency,but she claims to have made her point in the recent Assembly polls in Punjab. Amid all the brooding in the Congress camp,she is said to have highlighted to the party leadership that of the eight candidates she recommended,six had won. Bitter rivalry among senior state Congress leaders,it may be noted,was one of the causes attributed for the partys dismal show.

Flowers for Peace

As New Delhi and Islamabad exchange notes on preparations for Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardaris visit,the Pakistan side has told Delhi that Zardari wants some quiet time at the Ajmer Sharif shrine of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. He is said to have wanted this visit as he had asked for a mannat when he was in prison in Pakistan. The Ajmer Sharif dargah management committee is also planning to give him a bouquet of flowers instead of the customary sword for visiting leaders since it wants to signify love and peace between the two countries. However,a final decision is yet to be communicated to the Ministry of External Affairs.