Movie time

Either because of lack of interest or paucity of time,President Pranab Mukherjee did not watch a movie for the last several years

Either because of lack of interest or paucity of time,President Pranab Mukherjee did not watch a movie for the last several years. But in Rashtrapati Bhawan,he is turning into a film buff,watching two films in his personal auditorium in the last two weeks. One of them happened to be Agantuk,Satyajit Ray8217;s last film,the other was Roman Holiday,a 1953 romantic comedy starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. Incidentally,the last film he watched was Rang De Basanti when he was the Defence Minister,and that too because there was a controversy regarding some references to MiG-21 aircraft.

GOA CALLING

CONGRESS circles are abuzz with speculation about Manoj Mattoos decision to shift his base to Goa. Administrator of the Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Trust,Mattoo,a confidant of the Nehru-Gandhi family,was also looking after the family pocketborough of Amethi and Rae Bareli. The retired Wing Commander is said to have opened a restaurant in Goa and is spending most of his time on his new venture. His visits to the trusts office at the Congress headquarters have also become quite infrequent. Mattoo was said to be a contender for a party ticket in the last Assembly polls in UP and it had not gone down well with the family,claim Congress leaders.

WARNING SHOTS

Dilli abhi door hai The result is far way ahead,goes the saying. But for the BJP,it seems,there is no doubt what will happen in the next general elections. Addressing a gathering in Deoband on Wednesday,party chief Nitin Gadkari alleged misuse of the CBI by the Centre,and warned the CBI officers that if they continue to do the bidding of the current government,they must be ready to face the music after 2014.

PMO MOVES

ANU Garg,a 1991-batch IAS officer from the Orissa cadre,is a new entrant to the Prime Ministers Office,which is undergoing a minor reshuffle following the exit of Jaideep Sarkar,the long-term private secretary to PM,who is taking charge as Indias ambassador to Israel. Vikram Misri,currently a joint secretary in the PMO,replaced Sarkar,a fellow IFS officer. Javed Ashraf,currently Joint Secretary,Americas,in the MEA,is moving in place of Misri. Garg,incidentally,is currently serving as Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry.