Opinion No pickup,pack up

There is still confusion over Obama’s itinerary in India. Bangalore and Hyderabad were knocked off because they are perceived as outsourcing hubs. The Wagah border was nixed because the Indian government did not think it appropriate for the President to make a speech on sub-continental peace as the US envisaged. A visit to Amritsar was dropped because of apprehensions over the reaction back home to photographs of their president with his head covered and surrounded by devotees in turbans. A proposal that he visit Chabad House in Mumbai was rejected because of security concerns. Even Obama’s address to the US India Business Chamber in Mumbai has its share of irritants,with the head of the US Chambers of Commerce,who has an old feud with Vice President Joe Biden,seeking to vet the Indian invitees.

Game playing

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit looked somewhat grim during the closing ceremony of the CWG. She had reason not to smile. Dikshit discovered at the last moment that Suresh Kalmadi had included Delhi’s Lt Governor Tejinder Khanna as one of the speakers and the LG happily took credit on behalf of the Delhi Government for the Games preparations. In fact,in a snub to Dikshit,Kalmadi even asked Khanna to hand over the CWG flag to the representatives from Glasgow,when the honour rightly belonged to the Delhi Chief Minister who had received the flag in Melbourne during the Commonwealth Games of 2006. Small wonder then that Dikshit,who was listed as one of the speakers at the function,declined the honour.

Tale with Patiala peg

THE visa department of the Ministry of External Affairs is under the charge of the MoS,Preneet Kaur. She has issued standing instructions that visa requests from Aroosa Alam,a Pakistani journalist and a friend of her husband,Amarinder Singh,be rejected. The former Punjab Chief Minister gets around the MEA roadblock by approaching the PMO directly for clearing Alam’s visa. In view of the powerful pulls and counter pulls at work,there is a piquant situation about Alam’s present visa to India. She is permitted to stay in Himachal Pradesh and Haryana,but she can only transit through Punjab. So,while she can live in the Patiala royal family’s summer palace at Dochi near Chail,she cannot preside over the main palace at Patiala.

Outsourcing tickets

OLD-TIMERS in the Bihar Congress are fuming over the party “outsourcing” the distribution of tickets for the forthcoming assembly poll. A few leaders from rival political parties called the shots in deciding several Congress candidates. The outsiders,including,Rajiv Ranjan Singh from the JD(U) and Raghunath Prasad Singh and Uma Shankar Singh from the RJD,carried more weight than regular Congress persons even though they have not formally joined the party since they fear disqualification under the Anti Defection Act.

Not in it together

IN the blame-game in the aftermath of the Commonwealth Games,the Tourism Ministry has kept its head above water since it scrupulously ensured all its paperwork was in order. Tourism Minister Kumari Selja repeatedly warned all ITDC officials that they should not hand over any completed job without getting three signatures from the coordinating agencies,testifying that the task assigned was completed. The DDA had initially proposed that it should work with the ITDC as a team,but Selja insisted on clear-cut responsibilities so that there was no problem about accountability. The ITDC declined to take on housekeeping duties for the Games Village,pointing out that it had enough on its plate with three Delhi hotels to run during the Games. For the Vasant Kunj apartments meant for senior Games officials,the ITDC stuck to its commitment and provided furnishings for 5,000 rooms. Unfortunately,the DDA had completed only 600 rooms in time for the Games.