Kingmaker
Pranab Mukherjee was a proactive minister and he is now turning out to be a proactive President. On his trips abroad,Mukherjee,with his varied experience,speaks with authority on behalf of the government on issues ranging from foreign affairs and home to finance and defence. There is speculation in political circles as to what Mukherjees role will be in May next year when the parliamentary election results are declared. If no party secures a majority,the presidents role will be pivotal. Already in preparation,Mukherjee has been studying the decisions of his predecessors,R Venkatraman,Shankar Dayal Sharma,K R Narayanan and A P J Abdul Kalam,in government formation. The President has spoken to three former chief justices who delivered rulings on formation of government and made extensive notes.
Blaming media
Close advisers of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are bitter about the role played by the media and Comptroller and Auditor General of India in undermining the credibility of UPA II. They believe that history will give the PM more marks than the media,which is given to sensationalism. It is not as if the style of functioning of Singh has changed between UPA I and UPA II,they argue,nor has there been greater interference from his party. The change in perception between Singhs two terms in office is largely because of the global economic slide. The advisers claim that with the flagship programmes in place,the bulk of work of UPA II has been completed.
Still around
The Commonwealth Games ended three years back and the organising committee of the CWG has wound up. But Jarnail Singh continues as its CEO,with four junior officers at his command. It appears that Singh will continue to get six-monthly extensions thanks to the PMO and the Sports Ministry,as long as the present government continues. Singh,who spends a short time in office daily,clears files sent to him by the Central Vigilance Commission,CBI and Delhi Police,sanctioning prosecutions. Even when no substantive case has been made out against officers,he has been blocking their promotions.
Low on priority list
The Brunei government,which hosted the ASEAN Summit recently,does not seem to rate India very high on its list of priorities. Brunei has just one runway and the Indian PMs aircraft was scheduled to depart last. Worse,Manmohan Singhs aircraft was made to wait an additional two hours,till 8.30 pm,because of the delay caused by other nations. US Secretary of State John Kerry was held up because of bilateral talks with Vietnam,and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang had some last-minute business to transact as well. The Vietnamese,Laos and Cambodian leaders also added to the delay.
CM as citizen
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and her Cabinet called on the Election Commission to complain about the Delhi Municipal Corporations run by the BJP. Dikshit alleged that the BJP,which controls three of the four municipal bodies in the Capital,has been creating problems for the Congress in holding election rallies at public grounds. She wanted the EC to appoint a nodal officer who would liaise with the corporation and speedily clear applications for use of grounds for rallies. The EC accepted Dikshits request. Incidentally,Dikshit sat in the visitors room awaiting her turn just like any other applicant at the EC office. She also made sure that she and her ministers travelled to Nirvachan Sadan in private cars.
Family seats
Last week a website that puts out news about the Congress and Gandhi family displayed photographs of Priyanka Gandhi at Rae Bareli with the caption Priyanka in her constituency. Whether the caption was a slip or intentional,it has further fuelled rumours in Rae Bareli that in 2014 Priyanka will contest from the constituency and not her mother. Sonia has nominated her daughter as her representative in the district-level monitoring and vigilance committees. Rahul Gandhi,meanwhile,has replaced the long-time party in charge in Amethi,Kishori Lal,with Chandrakant Dube. Sharma who has been officially kicked upstairs as party secretary in Delhi has very little work to do and is sulking. The partys media chief,Ajay Maken,denied reports that Priyanka would be campaigning all over the country in the elections. But the denial did not preclude the possibility of Priyanka standing from Rae Bareli. Another suggestion is that Priyanka contest from Phulpur in Allahabad,a seat which was held by family patriarch Jawaharlal Nehru.
