Games effect?

Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs decision to pull out of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Perth in October has left the Australian government disappointed.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs decision to pull out of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Perth in October has left the Australian government disappointed. No Indian Prime Minister has been to Australia in the last 25 years and the Aussies were said to be eagerly looking forward to Manmohan Singh attending the meeting. The reported reason why the visit was cancelled was because it would have clashed with a conference of Governors called by the President during that time. However,the recent uproar over the alleged irregularities in organising of the Commonwealth Games is invariably getting linked to the Prime Ministers decision.

Internal affairs

A Diplomatic row was prevented by the timely intervention of an alert MP. In the Parliaments list of business on Wednesday,a discussion was scheduled on the Sri Lankan issue it said the discussion would take place under Rule 193 on the alleged killing of Sri Lankan Tamils by the Sri Lankan Army in 2009 as recently revealed in a United Nations report. The matter had been raised by DMK MP T R Baalu and SP member Shailendra Kumar. A vigilant MP,however,drew the attention of the Speakers office to the fact that the notice could trigger a controversy as an internal mater of a sovereign country could not be discussed in the House. Noticing the misprint,the Speakers office quickly issued a corrigendum. The amended notice now part of the official record says the discussion will be on the steps taken by the Government of India for relief and resettlement of Tamils in Sri Lanka and other measures to promote their welfare.

IAS vs IFS

National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon was faced with an unusual question at a function in the capital. After a lecture on India and the global scene,a student,who said he had been shortlisted for the foreign service,stood up and asked the veteran diplomat whether he should join the service given that most of his friends preferred the IAS. Visibly taken aback,Menon listed a number of reasons in favour of joining the IFS and said he was glad that there wasnt a big rush to join the foreign service as all are not cut out for it.

Tailpiece

Former telecom minister Sukh Ram is a sad man today. Not just because he has been pushed to the sidelines of politics,but also because others are reaping benefits of the work accomplished by him. I brought about the telecom revolution and others made money, he says.