Enemy Territory

AFTER Rahul Gandhis appointment as Congress vice-president last January,which entailed larger responsibility and involvement on his part in organisation affairs,the Indian Youth Congress IYC and the NSUI are no longer the cynosure of all eyes in the grand old party. Sensing the changing direction of the wind,Meenakshi Natarajan,a much-underestimated tactician,got herself relieved of the charge of the IYC to shift to Rahuls next big project enrolling representatives of panchayati raj institutions in the party. She along with Sachin Rao,who is emerging as quite a powerful figure in the Congress thanks to his proximity with Rahul,would be looking after this new venture. While Mani Shankar Aiyar has been actively working towards this objective for over six years,the involvement of Rahuls close aides is set to bring the spotlight on this. After Meenakshis exit,the Congress has not given charge of the youth and student wings of the organisation to any other AICC secretary for over six weeks. Although the IYC and the NSUI continue to remain directly under Rahul who is in charge of frontal organisations,he is too busy setting right the system in his party to devote much time to them. Anyway,his experiments in the IYC and the NSUI were exciting but not very productive in terms of political dividends.

Poverty Problems

THE Congress may be dismissive of the opposition parties barbs over food inflation,but the ruling party may find it difficult to respond to this veiled criticism from a senior party leader and son of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. Simple vegetarian thali limited qty at AICC canteen is sold at Rs 40 today. A few months ago it was Rs 30, tweeted Anil Shastri,chairman of the AICC Hindi department and Special Invitee to the Congress Working Committee. Incidentally,Congress spokesperson Raj Babbars infamous Rs 12-a-meal remark had also come in response to a query linking purportedly inflated rates at the AICC canteen with Planning Commissions poverty line estimates.

New Focus

WHILE in the past it has been more focused on generating news of happenings in Pakistan and its border with India,the Intelligence Bureau IB has,of late,started taking a lot of interest in China affairs and has riveted its gaze on the disputed border. In fact,every incident on the China border is being reported with a lot of enthusiasm. North Block is,however,on the defensive with one of the leaked top secret letters that reported recent routine Chinese incursions having been found to have the stamp of a senior Home Ministry official.

Woman Power

WITH CRPF chief Pranay Sahay set to retire this week,the race for the new DG has picked up pace. Kanwaljit Deol,DG Investigations,NHRC,is tipped to be the front-runner in the race to become head of the largest central police force. While no decision has been taken,a high-level meeting has been called on Monday to decide the case. If this happens,Deol,a 1977 batch IPS officer of AGMU cadre,would be the first woman to hold the post of a force that is involved in all anti-Naxal operations in the country.

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