As leaders of various parties took turns to make farewell speeches and compliment one another on the last day of the last session of this Lok Sabha, Union Minister Sharad Pawar had to take special permission from the Chair to speak in the House as he had ceased to be a member. The NCP chief who has been elected to Rajya Sabha highlighted his achievements as Agriculture Minister. Speaking later, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh showered praise on Pawar for his achievements in the agriculture sector. Curiously, however, in what could be his last speech in Lok Sabha as the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh did not mention UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi or NDA working chairman L K Advani in his speech, although many who spoke complimented them. MODI WATCHING The Aam Aadmi Party is tracking the BJP’s plans for its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. Or so it seems from the tweet that the AAP put out on Friday expressing its belief that Modi will be contesting Lok Sabha elections from New Delhi constituency. Meanwhile, the AAP is said to be readying its second list of candidates which is said to include singer Rabbi Sher Gill, industrialist Rahul Bajaj and former Delhi minister Rakhi Birla. GEARING FOR CHANGE With barely a few weeks left of the UPA-II government, the officialdom already seems to be looking forward to their next political bosses. Unveiling some medical technology products developed by ICMR on Thursday, secretary, Department of Health Research, Dr V M Katoch, almost gave a farewell speech for Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad when he said Azad’s “spirit would remain with the department”. The minister merely looked on stoically. LEFT GETS IT ‘RIGHT’ TDP MP C M Ramesh, who was leading the protests over Telangana issue in Rajya Sabha, Friday offered an apology in the House as its deputy chairman P J Kurien urged members not to cross the “Lakshman rekha” while protesting. To this, CPM’s Sitaram Yechury said when Kurien talks about Lakshman rekha, he looks at him. “Nobody knows Lakshman rekha better than Sitaram,” Yechury quipped. BJP’s Balbir Punj remarked, “Our Leftist friend has, at least, accepted that a Sita, Rama and a Lakshman exist.”
