Scrutiny Shy

LOST OPPORTUNITY?

While the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party and its rival Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh have started declaring their candidates for the assembly elections slated for early next year,hopeful Congress aspirants are getting worried. Digvijaya Singh,AICC general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh,had promised to declare candidates in May,but there are still no signs of that happening. Senior party leaders from the state are flooded with applications from claimants and they do not know what assurance to give them. As of now,there is not even a screening committee to which these aspirants can be directed. Many of these ticket claimants are now left wondering whether the party has lost its opportunity to challenge the might of the SP and BSP in the state.

THE FOREIGN CONNECTION

With those spearheading the campaign for a Lokpal Bill themselves under the scanner,there is considerable chatter in official circles about the individuals involved,largely because some of them are former government employees. Kiran Bedi,who signed off from her service after a public row over not being made the Delhi police commissioner,is now being questioned by some for the donations one of her NGOs India Vision foundation has been receiving. Armed with FCRA approval,the foundation has attracted a large number of foreign donors. But the one which has raised eyebrows is Lehman Brothers,the leading symbol of the global economic crisis and listed among the key donors on the foundations website. The other major donors include Walmart and Open Hands,Switzerland.

ALL THE MINISTERS MEN

Ministers who were affected in the last Cabinet reshuffle in January are a worried lot. Some of them stand to lose a few of their most trusted staff because of a government directive that fixes a maximum of 10 years service in a ministers personal staff. The rule had come into effect sometime after the UPA government took charge for the second time,but since the tenure of personal staff is co-terminus with that of the minister,there was no immediate threat to those who had already been appointed. However,the ministers whose portfolios were changed in the reshuffle were deemed to have been appointed afresh and therefore their personal staff got covered by this rule. About 50 officials,currently serving with these ministers in various capacities,have submitted a representation with the Department of Personnel and Training to reconsider their case. So far,the DoPT has not budged and even stopped their salaries even though they continue to function.

THE TIGER TRAIL

The tiger has been attracting the attention of many VIPs these days. Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has been active on the tiger conservation trail for quite some time. It is now the turn of Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khursheed,who will be inaugurating a photo exhibition centred around a famous tigress in the Bandhavgarh National Park whose mysterious death last year had hogged headlines. Khursheed is no novice to animal welfare and wildlife though. An animal lover,he is known to have about 60 dogs and over 200 other pets at his house. He is also an avid wildlife photographer himself.

IRAN PUZZLE

The Iranian media advisor to President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad was given the red carpet treatment early this week,with the Ministry of External Affairs hosting him at the cost of the state exchequer. Ali Akbar Javanfekr,who heads the official news agency of Iran,IRNA,had meetings with Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and National Security Advisor Shivshanker Menon,apart from senior officials from the Iran desk in the MEA. All was going well,till he decided to leave mid-way in the trip. The MEA had organised a trip to Agra as well as meetings with ICCR and other officials,and most importantly,Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni. But the meetings had to be cancelled as Javanfekr cut short his trip and returned to Tehran,leaving officials perplexed about the reason of his sudden departure.