Mohali madness

The ghost of the Spectrum scandal is haunting the India-Pakistan talks as well. India has been insisting to Pakistan that this round of talks cannot be termed as composite dialogue. So,another nomenclature,comprehensive dialogue was coined,but that seems to have been dropped as well. The Pakistan establishment then came up with a new nomenclature,full spectrum dialogue with the hope that this one would stick,but they were gently and informally told that the word spectrum has a negative resonance in the India these days. While Pakistan continues to use full spectrum talks in some of its official communications,the Indian side is happy just calling it sustained engagement,dialogue or just talks.

Foreign fixation

The Commissioner of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security BCAS,G S Malhi,has been making repeated requests for foreign trips and this has irked the Civil Aviation Ministry no end. Though he took charge only in September last year,he has been abroad on official engagements twice the second visit concluded just last week. In between,the ministry sat on at least two such requests instead of forwarding it to the Cabinet Secretary for mandatory permission a fortnight before the departure date. Some ministry officials were overheard saying that the Commissioner should first undertake a tour of all the key airports in the country before jetting off abroad to give presentations on the subject. So fixated is the Commissioner on going abroad,that he is said to personally monitor the progress of his request with everyone concerned.

Clash of dates

The BJP is facing a unique dilemma. Though the party does not have much at stake in the forthcoming Assembly polls in five states,it wants to fight the elections with all seriousness. Its entire top brass is gearing up to campaign in the poll-bound states in the coming days. The problem is that the party has already announced launch of a nationwide campaign to highlight the failures of the UPA Government from April 6. Since most of its leaders would be campaigning for the polls,the party is now wondering whether to delay its much-publicised agitation by a few days. April 6 also happens to be the foundation day of the BJP and the launch of the campaign against the UPA government on that day obviously holds political significance. BJP managers are now trying to find out the availability of leaders to ensure that both the campaigns go hand in hand.

Poetic licence

Higher Education Secretary Vibha Puri Das showed her poetic side at the recently concluded Vice-Chancellors conference held in the capital. Giving the vote of thanks after the conference,Das,who is a post-graduate in Political Science,compared the dynamism of the Indian education sector to nothing less than the French Revolution. With a pun on Wordsworth8217;s famous words,the Secretary said: 8220;Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive,But to be in the education sector was very Heaven8221;. Considering that former NKC chairman Sam Pitroda,only the day before,had criticised the government for its lethargy on higher education reforms at that very conference,Das8217;s more optimistic take managed to raise a few smiles,as did her display of poetic licence.