Intelligent move

K Dhanalakshmi Gowda,the 2000-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre,may be in trouble now after the CBI raided her residence in the MEA officers complex on Saturday,but just a year ago she was the hot favourite of External Affairs Minister S M Krishna. Handpicked for the job of his private secretary,Dhanalakshmi was given a red carpet welcome in South Block. An Additional Secretary in the MEA was asked to vacate his office overnight so that Dhanalakshmi,more than 20 years his junior,could get a room of her choice. The senior officer was forced to function out of a conference room that was used for video-conference meetings with mission heads. Each time a video conference had to be done,he had to step out while Dhanalakshmi got both an office and home allotted in double quick time. Now,of course,the MEA spin masters are trying their best to distance their minister from the officer.

Red Alert

New Delhi cannot fault Beijing beyond a point over the cancellation of the India-China boundary talks. Contrary to claims,the global Buddhist congregation slated for the same days as the border talks was not an innocent private religious enterprise. The Ministry of External Affairs was deeply involved in this with meetings being held in South Block on how to provide behind-the-scenes assistance to the organisers,including dipping into unaccounted discretionary funds. So much so that a retired RAW official was also hired on a special contract to be an advisor for this conference,especially to rope in maximum participants including the Karmapa. But after Beijing upped the ante,South Block went the other extreme and gave out strict instructions that no MEA official should be seen at the event,including at the inaugural dinner.

Sting in the tale

A member of the National Commission for Minorities who was caught on camera some months ago allegedly trying to influence a witness in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case seems to be in trouble. The Prime Ministers Office has received a formal complaint against him and sources say that the PMO has sought a factual report on the matter from the Minority Ministry. Although the member had denied allegations that he was trying to influence the witness to save a Congress leader,the sting operation which was aired by a television channel earlier this year has come back to haunt him and caught the attention of the PMO. With the term of the member ending in March,the Minority Ministry is hurriedly finding out the details to prepare a report.

No Khan Do

Former Union Minister Aslam Sher Khan has written a letter to all Congress MPs,Working Committee members and senior leaders to come together and deliberate on the challenges confronting the party in the wake of Anna Hazares campaign against corruption. His letter states that Team Anna intends to form a party in the future with the sole purpose to cause Congress a loss in 2014 because they themselves do not have the capability to win. Pointing out that Sonia Gandhi needs unconditional support,especially now after undergoing a serious operation,Khan calls upon Congressmen to make a collaborative effort to revitalise the party. Congress leaders are smelling a rat again as Khans meetings earlier had witnessed a concerted attack on the powers that be in the Congress.