Opinion Efforts off track

THE Pranab Mukherjee-Mamata Banerjee relationship often sees up and downs. But of late there is a new bonhomie. Banerjee has discovered that the perfect time to get Mukherjee’s undivided attention is around 10.30 p.m. when he has finished dealing with the ministry files,particularly as he never sleeps before 1 a.m. Since Mukherjee is hard of hearing in his left ear,Banerjee is thinking of gifting him a hearing aid. Her point is that when those with eye problems automatically use spectacles,why should the Finance Minister be self-conscious about a hearing aid.

Longest reign

Sonia Gandhi is the longest serving president of the 125-year-old Congress party. It has been nearly 12 years since she took charge of the party in 1998. Her husband Rajiv Gandhi and mother-in-law Indira Gandhi each headed the party for only six years. Grandfather-in-law Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was party president for four years and his father,Motilal Nehru,for only a year.

The party constitution originally mandated that the Congress president’s tenure should be just for a year,except in special circumstances. Maulana Abdul Kalam remained in saddle for five years during World War II and Dev Kant Baruah for two-and-a-half years during the 1975 Emergency. But the Gandhi family was always an exception to the rule. After the Election Commission stipulated that parties would be de-registered if they did not adhere to their party constitution,the Congress amended its constitution to fix the president’s term for three years. Considering that Sonia Gandhi’s last presidential election took place in 2005,the Congress’s organisation poll is way behind schedule.

Reddy excuse

With Governor H R Bhardwaj breathing down his neck,Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has found an ingenuous way to try and pass the buck in dealing with the controversial Reddy brothers and their mining operations. Last week,the CM wrote a three-page letter to the Prime Minister,claiming self righteously that no illegal mining was taking place in his state. He added the rider that the best way to solve the problem would be for the Centre to ban iron ore exports. Since almost 40 per cent of our foreign exchange earnings come from the sale of iron ore, the Finance Ministry is in no mood to agree to the demand. The suggestion has simply been forwarded to the empowered group of ministers dealing with the subject.

Worth the wait

It comes as a pleasant surprise to discover that the new Terminal 3 at the Indira Gandhi Airport is the sixth largest terminal in the world. But the statistic can be slightly misleading,since most large international airports have more than one terminal. In T3,all domestic,foreign departure and arrival passengers are accommodated under one roof. Nevertheless,the terminal’s statistics are impressive: there are 160 check-in counters,78 aerobridges,an area of 502,000 square metres,14 baggage belts for arrivals,a five-level parking lot with space for 4,300 cars,plus a terminal sky walk,1.2-km-long piers,and 95 immigration counters. The old touch in this sleek,modern,glass-roofed structure is that the counters will still be manned by the regular slow,surly staff of the Home Ministry. To compensate,the airport authorities plan to post their own staff in immigration so that visitors will see some helpful,friendly faces on arrival. Once T-3 is fully operational,it is not quite clear what use the T1 and T2 terminals will be put to. Perhaps,the artworks like the huge Hussain mural can be re-located.