Opinion Inside Track

It is still unclear under what statute V K Shunglu has been appointed as head of the inquiry committee with the rank of a Supreme Court judge and under what provision does he has the power to summon witnesses and documents. CAG chief Vinod Rai is believed to have clarified to the government that under the Constitution,he has to submit his reports directly to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and not an inquiry committee. Shunglu,who was in the US when his name was announced,was the Prime Minister’s choice. Both men were secretaries to the Government of India at one point.

A sporting chance

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is unhappy that his state is near the bottom when it comes to sports. While relatively small states like Haryana,Punjab and Jharkhand,walked away with a big haul of medals,the only medal won by Gujarat at the Commonwealth Games was a bronze in rifle shooting and the winner,Lajja Goswami,is not a native Gujarati,but is of Bengali origin. To rectify the situation,Modi has decided to launch a Gujarat Sports Mahakumbh. The sports festival begins on November 20 and on November 29,Modi will deliver a motivational speech,urging that Gujarat’s famed spirit of competitiveness in commerce and industry should also extend to the sports field.

North versus South Block

THE MEA is infuriated with Home Secretary G K Pillai’s provocative remark on the eve of US President Obama’s visit,blaming the US of failure to share intelligence information with India. South Block complains that this is the second time Pillai has played spoiler to a key visit arranged by the foreign office. Earlier,Pillai acted as a party-pooper during Foreign Minister S M Krishna’s visit to Pakistan. Officials in South Block point out that if their North Block neighbour wanted to air his grievances against the American authorities,he had ample opportunity to do so when US officials visited New Delhi in July to sign a memorandum of understanding on an initiative for counter-terrorism cooperation. Similarly,Pillai was subdued during the SAARC home secretaries meet in Pakistan just a fortnight before Krishna’s trip. MEA officials have a hard time persuading their foreign counterparts that Pillai’s

foot-in-the mouth disease is not part of a strategic plan.

What’s in a name

Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh likes to have the last word. But can he can persuade Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati to come around to his point of view? Mayawati wants to name the Dudhwa National Park in UP after Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. Ramesh wrote a letter urging her to name the tiger resort after Billy Arjan Singh instead. The legendary conservationist was closely associated with the park and played a major role in helping tiger conservation in the region.

The wedding planner

MINISTER for Chemicals and Fertilisers,M K Alagiri,presented to Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi an invitation for his son Dayanidhi Azhagiri’s wedding,which was handwritten by his 86-year-old father,Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi. Both Congress leaders were touched by Karunanidhi’s thoughtfulness. The DMK is leaving no stone unturned to ensure Sonia’s presence at the function on November 18 as that would put paid to rival Jayalalitha’s efforts to woo the Congress before the assembly polls.

With the family fully backing him,Alagiri,who has taken time off from his ministerial duties,wants to use the wedding to demonstrate his political clout. The venue is the Tamukka grounds,the same ground where Jayalalitha held a huge rally last month. Alagiri,who considers Madurai his fiefdom,is aiming for an even larger turnout for the wedding. He hopes to outdo the grandeur of the wedding organised by Jayalalitha for her estranged adopted son Dinakaran. Alagiri seems to forget that the extravagance displayed at Dinakaran’s wedding was one of the reasons for Jayalalitha’s political downfall.