Friendly foes

At least two Congressmen have the Opposition BJP to thank for their position in the new Government. The first,former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh,who was inducted into the Cabinet in the second round after he came in for praise and support from senior BJP leader Shanta Kumar. Then Pawan Kumar Bansal,who was assigned Parliamentary Affairs Ministry,which essentially operates only during House sessions,was given the responsibility of Water Resources after a dig by the BJP Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha,Sushma Swaraj. She commented that Bansal,her senior in college,had been made a minister over a decade after she had served as a Cabinet minister,and that too given the 8220;seasonal8221; ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. In no time,Bansal had been 8220;upgraded8221;.