ON SONG

BJP deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Ravi Shankar Prasad has been dabbling in diplomacy of late.

ON SONG

Cabinet ministers are showcasing a different kind of talent these days. After Law Minister Kapil Sibal,who has penned a few songs and got them sung by famous singers including Daler Mehndi,it is now Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid who is trying his hand at lyric writing. Khurshid has penned a poem on the Delhi gangrape victim,which has since been composed and sung by family friend and sufi singer Zila Khan,daughter of sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan. Khurshid has also recited some lines in the song.

STEPPING BACK

A multinational company looking to bag the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline project had invited Afghanistan and Pakistan to New Delhi to hold discussions on the project. While the Afghan government officials came to the city for discussions,Pakistans representatives did not turn up,which has raised eyebrows in South Block. Islamabad apparently cited the present state of relations as their reason for not turning up for the meeting.

DATE WITH DIPLOMACY

BJP deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Ravi Shankar Prasad has been dabbling in diplomacy of late. Last weekend,he represented his party in Kathmandu where he met leaders of political parties as well as Nepals President and interim prime minister. In June,he had travelled to Sri Lanka and met with the leadership there. Apart from the discussions on issues of bilateral interest,China is learnt to have been a common theme of his discussions in both these countries. Prasad is said to have sought to drive home the point that while these neighbours are well within their rights to engage with Beijing,they should not forget Indian interest.

HELPING HAND

While its own restructuring is still some way off,Prasar Bharati will now assist Radio amp; Television Afghanistan RTA in the repair and maintenance of its existing transmission facilities such as uplinking and shortwave transmission. Zarin Anzor,director general of RTA,and Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar signed an MoU on Tuesday. Prasar Bharati will also train some Afghan journalists and editors to upgrade their talent pool.