Date with Obama

ALL EYES ON PMO

While there is the federal aspect constraining the Centre from intervening beyond a point in the Durga Shakti Nagpal suspension case,the fact remains that if the Manmohan Singh government is keen on setting matters right,there are plenty of track 2 options. To begin with,UP Chief Secretary Jawed Usmani,the key man to provide any redressal to Nagpal,is an old PMO hand,having served there for years and was considered one of PMs favourite. His senior colleague from the PMO Pulok Chatterji is now Principal Secretary to PM,and also an ex-UP cadre. So is Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth. All eyes are on how these three officers work the back channel to address the concerns of a 2010 officer from their own cadre.

OUT OF BOUNDS

Winds of change are blowing in the BJP and signs are there for all to see at the Opposition partys headquarters at Ashoka Road in the national capital. Partys senior office-bearers like general secretaries have now insulated themselves in a newly constructed wing from the stream of visitors from different parts of the country. Nobody can enter the swanky wing without an appointment and,of course,not everybody has the fortune or clout to get an appointment with a BJP national general secretary. This,when Opposition leaders never tire of taking digs at the High Commandist and hierarchical Congress. But,may be,the change in BJP leaders approach also has to do with their confidence as a wannabe ruling party.

Election Mode

AS political parties gear up for next general elections,so is the Election Commission of India ECI. Last week,an IAS officer of Orissa cadre R Balakrishnan joined the ECI as Deputy Election Commissioner. Bala,as he is called among the ECI officials,was instrumental in introducing the system of Booth Level Officers BLO and Vulnerability Mapping during 2009 general elections and many Assembly elections in his previous stint in the ECI. Bala was on study leave but CEC V S Sampath especially requested the Union government for his services.

KOIRALA IN INDIA

Nepali Congress president Sushil Kumar Koirala embarks on a five-day visit to India from Monday. He is expected to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi who,incidentally,had not met Nepal Maoist leaders during their visits to India. Koirala will also have a meeting with UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. New Delhi would be keenly listening to every word of Koirala who has,in public,been alluding to Indias role in Nepal and saying Nepals nationalism is at its weakest while pointing to a foreign hand. At the same time,he has been sending feelers to New Delhi to bridge the gap with the establishment. But,this trait,observers say,is reflected across the political spectrum in the neighbouring country.

Match Maker

A quizmaster is essentially a man of varied interests and Trinamool Congress leader Derek OBrien showed the same on Twitter while taking a quick break from defending what many believe the indefensible TMC chief. Matrimonial ad. The male chimpanzee at the Kolkatazoo needs a mate. Will any of Indias other zoos please make his day. Seriously,let me know, he tweeted on Sunday. It was a dramatic departure from his earlier entries on his partys position on RTIs ambit vis-a-vis political parties and a detailed account of the Mumbai investors meet.