Opinion Not for media’s eyes

Many job applications

Sonia Gandhi was busy during her holiday studying the huge pile of job applications from retired bureaucrats,NGOs and politicians who want to be included in the National Advisory Council (NAC). While the last NAC had 11 members,this time the number is likely to be reduced. The key post is of the secretary to the commission,which will be filled by a serving IAS officer. Pulok Chatterjee,who was the last secretary and also additional secretary in the PMO,coordinated between the official and unofficial branches of the government. Some speculate that Chatterjee,who has only completed half his tenure with the World Bank in Washington,might return to take up the task again. If Chatterjee,who is now a secretary,comes back to Delhi,the Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary TKA Nair would most probably be eased out. The most recent criticism against him is that he was chief guest at the launch of the logo for a private company building,the largest mall in Kerala.

Vacant building

While the names of NAC members are yet to be finalised,there is no problem of accommodation for the newly formed body. The large bungalow at 2A,Motilal Nehru Marg,just opposite Sonia Gandhi’s residence,has been kept vacant ever since the council was wound up the last time. It was felt that it would be a security threat to the Congress president to permit any other tenant.

Missing country reps

The cream of Delhi’s diplomatic corps attended a musical concert on March 31 to kick off the year-long cultural festival exchange commemorating 60 years of Indo-Chinese friendship. Indian cultural programmes are to be held in 33 cities in China and a large number of Chinese artistes will perform in different parts of India. At the function organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR),guests were taken aback to find there was no senior government representative from either the Indian or the Chinese side. Minister for External Affairs SM Krishna was missing and so was the Chinese Ambassador to India. The explanation for Krishna’s absence was that he was to attend the inaugural function in Beijing. The Chinese kept an enigmatic silence over their missing Ambassador.

Strange omission

While addressing the Rajya Sabha on the Women’s Bill in the last session,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh forgot to give due credit to Sonia Gandhi for being the guiding spirit behind the Bill. In his speech to the nation on April 1 on the Right to Education bill,Gandhi’s name was similarly not mentioned. Those who like to see differences between the party president and the PM look for such straws. The fact that both Sonia Gandhi and most senior ministers did not attend the Padma award presentation ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan—at which controversial hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal,whose name was pushed by the PMO,received his award—is also not without significance.

State gives protection

Following V Prabhakaran’s death,the LTTE has been practically wiped out in Sri Lanka. But the Central government is apprehensive that a few LTTE followers may try and re-group in Tamil Nadu. A boat with 20 hardcore LTTE supporters landed in Tamil Nadu recently. The Intelligence Bureau sent warning messages to the state government urging the arrest of the youth. But despite getting detailed reports from New Delhi of the whereabouts of the new arrivals,only six were apprehended. Some LTTE followers are protected,thanks to political patronage.