Opinion Contrasting behaviour

Actress Rekha,on the other hand,made an appearance for 20 minutes for her oath ceremony and left even before the question hour was over. Many feel she will follow in the footsteps of Lata Mangeshkar and turn out to be an absentee MP. According to Bollywood,the star has become something of a recluse and entertains few visitors in her home in Mumbai. In fact,several actresses of yesteryear are distinctly peeved at Rekha getting this honour. One of them met a Mumbai Congress leader and complained that she had campaigned for the Congress in the past,while Rekha had not lifted her little finger for the party.

Cycle culture

Justice Dalveer Bhandari is to leave for the Hague next month to join the International Court of Justice. Bhandari was perplexed when he received a phone call from Hague asking whether he would like a bicycle to be booked for him. In India,Justices are used to limousines and pilot cars and the thought that in the Hague,most people travel by cycles for short distances came as a culture shock to the honourable judge.

For the wrong reason

As a conscientious Rajya Sabha member,journalist H K Dua has been making thoughtful speeches in Parliament regularly,but the media has taken scant note of his contribution. Last Tuesday,Parliament’s watch and ward staff requested Dua to permit Rekha to occupy his corner seat for a few minutes so that she could easily slip out of the bench in order to take her oath. Dua did not bargain that this simple act of courtesy would receive more attention than all his speeches put together. Newspapers throughout the country reported the fact and a friend whom he had lost touch with for the last 35 years even phoned him to ask how it felt sitting next to the former movie star.

No smoke without fire

Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel sent an SMS to journalists,contradicting reports that he met Y S Yeddyurappa’s confidante,Shobha Karandlaje. Ahmed’s message,however,has not ended speculation that the Congress and Yeddyurappa are trying to work out a deal. Sonia Gandhi’s visit to the Lingayat mutt,Sri Siddaganga in Tumkur,to felicitate the 105-year-old seer of the mutt a fortnight ago,is not seen as a mere coincidence. Insiders claim the visit to this Lingayat stronghold would not have been possible without the blessings of Yeddyurappa. The BJP is trying desperately to pacify Yeddyurappa,who stopped short of quitting the party. With the CBI on his case,Yeddyruppa knows that he cannot be installed as CM. He now demands that the wings of Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda,pradesh BJP chief K S Eshwarappa and Ananth Kumar be clipped. He holds Ananth Kumar in particular responsible for conspiring to reduce his influence and he trusts only those in the central leadership who are known not to be on friendly terms with his arch rival.

Turning to women to buck incumbency

Narendra Modi is gearing up for the assembly poll later this year and he realises that he has a problem with the Patel community,both Koli and Leuva Patels. Modi’s predecessor,Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel,has openly hit out at Gujarat’s strongman by charging that the state is run by looters and highway robbers and there is a total breakdown of law and order. Modi has come up with a scheme to beat the anti-incumbency factor. He is contemplating dropping several male MLAs and asking them to nominate a female family member to be the candidate in their place. The Chief Minister believes that he continues to be a star attraction among Gujarati women. There is another ticklish problem for Modi. Anar,daughter of Modi’s long-time confidante and minister Anandiben Patel, wants a party ticket as does her mother. Modi has campaigned fiercely against dynastic politics but in this case,he is likely to make an exception.