Reviving Ties

When Mohan Singh,one of Samajwadi Partys seniormost leaders,was sacked as spokesperson in January,Mulayam Singh Yadav had come out as someone who did not mind dumping long-time associates

When Mohan Singh,one of Samajwadi Partys seniormost leaders,was sacked as spokesperson in January,Mulayam Singh Yadav had come out as someone who did not mind dumping long-time associates for promoting the interests of his family. After all,the action against Mohan Singh had been taken for his statements against Akhilesh Yadav. Last week,however,Mulayam showed that promoting blood relationships did not necessarily have to come at the cost of old friendships. Immediately after campaigning for the last phase of UP elections was over,Mulayam and his cousin Ram Gopal Yadav,a general secretary of the party,visited AIIMS to meet Singh who is undergoing treatment. The conversation is learnt to have turned emotional as the three recalled their old days. Mohan Singh is believed to have told the two that if he was unable to attend the party meeting on March 7 after the announcement of UP results,his views should be counted in favour of whatever Mulayam says.

Balancing Act

Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani is quite circumspect about the invitation from Pakistan. Insiders say he is still not sure where he stands in the pecking order for the Pakistan establishment. Unlike the last time,the invitation addresses him as the chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat and not chairman of All Party Hurriyat Conference. At the same time,the letter sent to Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also does not refer to him as chairman APHC,but chairman Awami Action Committee. Clearly,Islamabad is playing the balancing act to ensure neither faction feels less privileged. Incidentally,individual invitations have gone out to the Mirwaizs associates but no such gesture has been extended to the Geelani camp and that has sent the group into a huddle.

Ad-ding Up

The Iamp;B Ministry wants that it should be entrusted with the responsibility of deciding on the advertisements given out by all other ministries. It is learnt to have written to the Prime Ministers Office that in the interests of making a coordinated and uniform effort to project a positive image of the government,all the other ministries be asked to deposit their advertisement money with the DAVP which can then decide on what ads to place where and when. As of now,the ministries finalise their advertisements and send it to DAVP to get them published or broadcast.

Time Off

The more than month-long campaign schedule,especially in UP,has taken a toll on several leaders. Many of them are more than looking forward to the end of the campaign. BJP chief Nitin Gadkari was among those who slogged through the entire campaign,logging several hundred miles travelling in his private jet and helicopter. Last heard,he was eagerly planning to go in for naturopathy treatment to wash off the fatigue and regain energy. Some others are also headed for the much-needed break. Minister of State Jitin Prasada,for example,is planning to spend a couple of days in Nainital.

Arab Diplomacy

Its the season of Arab diplomacy in the South Block these days. Following its support for a UN resolution against Syria,which was backed by the Arab League and the western countries,New Delhi has been reaching out to Arab countries,particularly Qatar,Oman and Saudi Arabia. Last month,A K Antony made the first trip by an Indian Defence Minister to Saudi Arabia. Foreign Minister S M Krishna is currently on a three-day visit to Egypt,where the Syrian crisis is likely to be one of the main issues of discussion. National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon is on a quiet visit to Oman. While Iran is on his mind Oman being the Arab nation to have the closest ties with Tehran Menon is learnt to be spending some time in setting up the visit of Sultan of Oman to India later this year.