Friends in need

When Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah landed at a five-star hotel where DMK chief M Karunanidhi was staying.

When Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah landed at a five-star hotel where DMK chief M Karunanidhi was staying,the rumour mills worked overtime with some suggesting that he had gone there to placate the fellow UPA ally. The story,however,turned out to be quite different. One gets to hear that Abdullah had taken some guests to the five-star hotel for lunch and when some TV reporters asked him if he had come to meet Karunanidhi,he thought he should call on the ailing leader. After his lunch,Abdullah went to Karunanidhis room and inquired about his health. No politics was discussed, he later stated.

Spectrum Slowdown

While the Joint Parliamentary Committee looking into the 2G spectrum scam is set to meet half-a-dozen times by June 30,its members are not sure whether it would be able to submit its report by the next session of Parliament. Members have been asked to prepare their lists of witnesses that the committee should summon. One of the members said his list contains 38 names so far. The committee has decided to call the Comptroller amp; Auditor General at its next meeting on May 30 and the CBI Director on June 7. Besides,four other meetings have been scheduled between June 8 and 30. At this stage,it looks like a year long project at least, quipped a member.

Political Treats

A prominent chaatwala from West Delhi has apparently caught the fancy of UPA and Congress leaders,and his mouthwatering treats have virtually become a must at all major political functions. Invitees to the dinner hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his 7,RCR residence on Sunday to celebrate the completion of two years of his government gorged on the spicy chaat delicacies that were laid out. The grapevine has it that the services of the same chaatwala was also used by Ahmed Patel,political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi,during the reception and marriage of his son Faisal recently. Also,prominent ministers,including Kapil Sibal and Ambika Soni,had apparently served chaat delicacies from the same vendor to their guests at parties they had thrown sometime back.

The Right Medicine

The newly-formed Medical Council of India seems to be playing its cards safely. While the earlier board led by Dr S K Sarin did things in its own way without involving the Health Ministry in many of its proposals,new MCI chief Dr KK Talwar seems to have decided to take the government into confidence. In fact,the new MCI members had a meeting with the Health Minister on Monday. The idea,it appears,was to get to know his mind before the board starts meeting formally every week. The buzz is also that the new MCI may well revive an old proposal for launching a Bachelors of Rural Medicine course,which Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had approved and publicised heavily.

In Bad Odour

Deodorant commercials have come under the scanner after complaints of vulgarity and obscenity. One gets to hear that it has been pointed out by influential political sections that these advertisements were not palatable to family viewers. Last heard,the Information amp; Broadcasting Ministry has swung into action and asked the Advertising Standards Council of India the self regulatory voluntary organisation of the advertising industry to come up with a solution in a weeks time.