Red Light

Legal Complications

TRUST the government to complicate matters before finalising anything. The Law Ministry had to make fresh appointments of Additional Solicitor Generals. It decided to give a fresh term to almost every serving ASG and sent the file to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet for approval. But just then,A S Chandhiok,who represents the government in the Delhi High Court,sought elevation to the Supreme Court. He apparently told the government that he was not interested in the job any more if he was not shifted to the Supreme Court. The government is learnt to have yielded and zeroed in on another lawyer for the Delhi High Court and sent the amended list to the ACC for approval.

Political Semantics

THERE has been much speculation around the reason why Mulayam Singh Yadav avoided a joint media interaction with Mamata Banerjee,a day after both had together announced their three candidates for the post of President. The Trinamool Congress has its own version of events. After Mamata met Mulayam for the second time,and learning that the SP leader was dithering whether to continue on his stand or not,she wanted him to once again reiterate his support to A P J Abdul Kalam at a joint press conference,as was done a day earlier. But Mulayam told her he had visited a dentist earlier in the day and was therefore not in a position to talk to the media. He also told her that he was generally not keeping very well that day. Mamata then asked him whether she could go ahead and announce that Kalam was hamara their candidate. Mulayam said yes. That same hamara word was later interpreted by Samajwadi Party to mean my and not ours.

Presidential Gamesmanship

THOUGH it was finally able to turn the tables on Mamata Banerjee,the Congress was for a day totally dazed by her audacity in getting Mulayam Singh Yadav on her side and naming Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a Presidential candidate. Senior leaders within the Congress are said to have been left stunned by Mamatas move. The top leadership had not anticipated such an event and some of the Congressmen were already talking about who should be held responsible. But late that evening,the partys managers started working the phones to somehow outsmart their ally-turned-tormentor. As work began on bringing Mulayam back into the fold,the Congress also summoned UPA chief ministers to Delhi. The gameplan apparently was to get the CMs to announce their support to the Congress nominee. Many CMs turned up in Delhi the next day,when the UPA meeting was also scheduled. In the end,the contingency plan was not required since Mulayam was won over,leaving Mamata totally isolated.

Mission Accomplished

THE long simmering turf war between the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts IGNCA and the National Mission for Manuscripts may finally be heading towards resolution. It is learnt that the Culture Ministry is quietly working on a plan that will confer autonomy upon the Mission. IGNCA,which now controls the mission,has resisted all past attempts to cede its authority over the Mission. So much so that IGNCA heavyweights had written to the Prime Minister earlier this year that control of the Mission must be reverted to IGNCA once its Director Prof Dipti S Tripathi completes her term on April 1. The government,however,thought otherwise. Tripathi has been given a year-long extension and is set to wrest autonomy for her institute.