Golden memories

The two Indian dignitaries were bestowed with Dhakai saris as gifts during their short 24-hour stay.

Golden memories

Congress leaders,including senior ministers,are somewhat jealous of Culture Minister Kumari Selja,who was the lucky one to accompany party president Sonia Gandhi on a special flight to Dhaka earlier this week. Sonia was there to accept an award conferred posthumously on former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for her contribution in Bangladeshs Liberation War. Dhaka laid out the red carpet for the high profile dignitary,but the arrangements had a personal touch. Besides her Foreign Minister Dipu Moni,Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sent her daughter Saima Wazed Hossain to receive the Congress president,who,of course,was appropriately dressed in an exclusive Dhakai sari. The two Indian dignitaries were bestowed with Dhakai saris as gifts during their short 24-hour stay. The best,however,was saved for the Bangladesh Swadinata Sanmanona award handed over by President Zillur Rahman to Sonia Gandhi it was a plaque made of 24 carat gold.

Questionable Strategy

In a repeat of its strategy in the 2007 Assembly election in Gujarat,and in the Bihar Assembly election more recently,the Congress has started sending Union ministers to Gujarat to pick holes in the Narendra Modi governments implementation of Central schemes. In the past month or so,at least half-a-dozen ministers,including Vilasrao Deshmukh,Mukul Wasnik,C P Joshi,Kapil Sibal and M Veerappa Moily,have attended different functions in the state in this connection. Many Congress leaders,however,have reservations about this strategy of deploying ministers to make up for the state Congresss failure to mobilise people at the grassroots through agitations. With about one-and-a-half years left for polls,the partys hope in the state was summed up by a senior leader: Gujarat to Ram bharose hi hai.

Rolling Stock

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee may have felt elated for having managed to keep the Railway Ministry in her partys control,but the scene at the Rail Bhawan gives an impression that after a long time it is not a regional party which holds sway. On any given day,people of all political hues,particularly Congress MPs,can be spotted in the room of her successor Dinesh Trivedi. What is more,Bengali MPs are talking of two Gujaratis being parked at Rail Bhawan,Trivedi and his junior Bharatsinh Solanki.

Staying on Court

Conscious of propriety,Gopal Subramanium thought that he would no longer continue to be the amicus curiae in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case,now that he had resigned from his position as Solicitor General. That probably was the reason why he was found absent from the court when the matter came up for hearing on Thursday. However,he rushed into the court when he was told that the Bench led by Justice Aftab Alam had noticed his absence. When the court repeatedly told him it would like him to continue to assist it,he said he would be honoured to do so.

Inclusion Conclusion

HAVING publicly opposed any such provision,HRD Minister Kapil Sibal surprised many of his Cabinet colleagues by arguing for inclusion of the office of the PM under the purview of the Lokpal. Apart from Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh,Sibal was the only minister who supported such a provision. He is learnt to have argued that the Cabinet could take the high ground by including this provision,which,he was sure,would be struck down by the Parliamentary Standing Committee,when the matter was referred to it. The Cabinet,however,was not convinced and overruled the suggestion.