Separate Agendas

NCP leader and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar is more concerned about the drought situation.

Separate Agendas

While all the political noise in the last few days,in and out of Parliament,has been around the three CAG reports,some seasoned political leaders remain totally fixated with their own,totally unrelated,agendas. BJP leader Uma Bharti attended her partys parliamentary meeting on Wednesday,only to bring to the partys notice her campaign for saving Ganga. She is scheduled to distribute holy water of the Ganga at the MPs Club on Thursday to whoever is willing to accept. On the other hand,NCP leader and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar is more concerned about the drought situation. Pawar was seen engaged in an animated discussion with Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav in the Lok Sabha. He was learnt to be seeking information on the drought situation in Uttar Pradesh.

DESPERATE TIMES

A DAY after the embarrassment caused by the adjournment of the Rajya Sabha on the advice of Minister of State Rajiv Shukla,the government tried to make amends. In a desperate bid not to be seen running away from a discussion on the CAG report on allocation of coal blocks,the government at the customary morning meeting of the floor leaders of the parties even agreed to a suspension of the Question Hour to facilitate a discussion. But the BJP,which has been demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister on this issue,was unwilling to provide an exit route to the government. As a result,the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha could not transact any business for the second consecutive day on Wednesday.

SPONSORS PAST

A GROUP of MPs from Pakistan are scheduled to be in Parliament on Thursday to witness the proceedings. While there is little chance of the MPs being able to see a meaningful debate,because of the ongoing tussle between the government and the Opposition,what is interesting is the fact that this unofficial visit of the Pakistani legislators has been sponsored by Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency which was caught in the midst of a controversy last year because of its links with Kashmiri separatist Ghulam Nabi Fai. Fai has recently been sentenced to two years imprisonment by a US court. Last year,many Indian MPs had chosen to stay away from an India-Pakistan Parliamentarian Dialogue,organised by the same organisation after its links with Fai had become known.

RESERVE PRICING

HAD Defence Minister A K Antony,the new number two in the Cabinet,got his way in the Cabinet meet that settled the reserve price for 2G auction,the amount would have been Rs 15,000 crore and not Rs 14,000 crore as was finally approved. In his new role,Antony has to steer the Cabinet meeting and so while reading out the decision before the Cabinet to choose between the two amounts,he automatically went for the higher price. However,his voice was drowned by others who immediately rejected the proposition,saying that even Rs 14,000 crore would be a hard sell to the industry.

CAUSE CELEBRE

FORMER Army chief Gen V K Singh seems to have become the first point of call for anyone championing a cause. And Singh does not seem to believe in practicing discrimination while lending his support to a cause. On Thursday,he is set to chair an anti-nuclear energy seminar sitting amidst Left-leaning intellectuals and NGOs in the morning. By afternoon,he will change hats and share the dais with right-wingers to participate in a panel discussion on Assam Today organised by Sardar KPS Gill Fans Club.