Forced Friends

BJP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Javadekar had no qualms rubbing shoulders with Binayak Sen,an activist who his party wants in jail for his alleged links with Maoists.

Forced Friends

BJP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Javadekar had no qualms rubbing shoulders with Binayak Sen,an activist who his party wants in jail for his alleged links with Maoists. The BJP had even slammed the Planning Commission for inducting the activist into one of its steering panels. But that history did not stop Javadekar from joining hands with Sen at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday to protest the provisions of the proposed food security Bill.

RETAIL RESPONSE

National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah is not perturbed by the governments decision to allow FDI in retail trade. When JDU chief Sharad Yadav caught him on the sidelines of the all-party meeting on Tuesday and sought his view on the controversial decision,his reply simply stumped him. Abdullah senior said he is not worried as Jammu and Kashmir would not be affected by entry of FDI in retail trade,since it does not have any one million plus cities where it has been permitted. Interestingly,the FDI debate has also brought together many regional arch-rivals the DMK and AIAMDK,BSP and SP and Left and Trinamool to name a few.

SEATING CAPACITY

MAULANA Tauqeer Raza,head of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council who campaigned extensively for the Congress in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections,now says he has broken off the allegiance because of the Rajasthan governments inaction in the Gopalgarh violence against Muslims and the continuation of state home minister Shantilal Dhariwal in the Cabinet. The grapevine though has it that indignation may be Razas only recourse now as the Congress is in no mood to give him the 20 seats that he has demanded. Raza,a prominent Barelvi sect leader,says he will contest 50-60 seats and will concentrate on the Moradabad-Bareilly belt.

SHORT SHRIFT

WHILE Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi may have spoken glowingly about the UIDAI scheme,elected delegates of the Youth Congress failed to see the point as they forced UIDAI Chairman Nandan Nilekani to abruptly end his speech on Tuesday. Clearly not interested in grasping the details,the IYC delegates attending a two-day convention here,resorted to incessant clapping even as Nilekani pleaded to finish in two minutes. He finally gave up and said: I will leave you now. Nilekani was not the only one as noted political psychologist Ashis Nandy too suffered the same fate. Meanwhile,experts like Sam Pitroda were bit more fortunate he spoke through video conference from Chicago.

DIPLOMATIC MOVES

COMMERCE Secretary Rahul Khullar has emerged as the lead contender for the job of Indias next Ambassador to Belgium and the European Union after the government decided to post incumbent Jaimini Bhagwati as Indias next High Commissioner to London. Bhagwatis selection ends a four-month-long wait,as it now emerges that the delay in the last month was largely due to Meera Shankars pitch for the job. Shankar,who retired as Indias Ambassador to the US,is said to have expressed her interest late in the day but did receive the backing of certain top government officials. However,Bhagwati also had a strong backer in Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma,who is well-connected in Congress echelons. Sharma,who has been Indias High Commissioner to London in the past,got involved apparently after Pavan Varma,Indias Ambassador to Bhutan,emerged as the initial frontrunner for the London job. The grapevine has it that the two did not pull along when Varma was Director of Nehru Centre,London. Meanwhile,Khullars probable appointment would see the Brussels assignment return to the IAS fold after a long gap.