Hot and cold

BJP deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde is much in demand these days.

Hot and cold

BJP deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde is much in demand these days. He is a hot commodity, a senior Congress leader says of Munde,who is currently busy exploring what political life would be life like if he quits the BJP,as the grapevine has had it for some time now. Munde,according to him,would be welcome in all three political players in Maharashtra Congress,Shiv Sena and NCP. However,considering the time Munde has taken to make up his mind,he faces the prospect of the three parties losing enthusiasm to lay out the welcome mat. The moral of the story: Decide your destination while you are hot property.

Spilling Secrets

It was somewhat inevitable. As relations between civil society representatives and the government headed for a breakdown,Congress insiders have begun spooning out juicy information about some of the civil society representatives. According to a senior Congress leader,Swami Agnivesh,who is part of Team Anna,had approached the Congress for a party ticket in 2004 from Lucknow to contest against then BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee. They contend that Swami Agnivesh met party leaders at 80 Lodhi Estate,then the war room of the Congress for the 2004 polls,and offered to stand against Vajpayee if given the ticket. The party decided to back independent candidate Ram Jethmalani for the seat instead. More such nuggets are expected.

Didi next

Seems there is no respite for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. After Amma and Anna,guess who is coming next to the Capital? West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Like J Jayalalithaa,reports from Kolkata suggest,Mamata is also ready with a voluminous wish list to petition the Prime Minister. Thankfully,Mamatas visit is expected to be less stormy,since she is a UPA partner.

Key Contenders

There are many contenders for the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Maharashtra,which fell vacant following Prithviraj Chavans resignation. Among those lobbying hard for it is Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil who is said to be eager to return to active politics. Former Madhya Pradesh PCC chief Suresh Pachouri is another contender but there are two factors working against him 8211; the fact that he has been in the Upper House for four terms and also that the party is not very enthusiastic about nominating another outsider Rajiv Shukla from the state. Senior Congress leaders from Maharashtra believe that National Advisory Council NAC member Narendra Jadhav could be a potential surprise candidate.

Tailpiece

Even as they engage in verbal squabbles and exchange strong words almost on a daily basis,at Wednesdays meeting of the joint Lokpal Bill drafting committee,the first thing that the government nominees to the panel did was to profusely congratulate Gandhian activist Anna Hazare on his 74th birthday. A smiling Hazare also accepted the wishes,only requesting the government to give him the gift of a good Lokpal Bill.