Supernatural help

The fast by Baba Ramdev and the issues thrown up by his actions have eclipsed other interesting trends in Sangh Parivar affairs.

Supernatural help

The fast by Baba Ramdev and the issues thrown up by his actions have eclipsed other interesting trends in Sangh Parivar affairs. One is a special tantrik puja that is being undertaken by the RSS point-man in the BJP,Suresh Soni. As the enormous exercise in Haridwar nears its grand finale,everybody in the saffron brotherhood is curious to know the purpose behind the holy affair. The buzz is that Soni apprehends an end to his deputation to the BJP and the supernatural powers,it is hoped,may help him continue in the job.

LAWFUL ABSENCE

As the Supreme Court continues to be hyper active despite the summer vacations,with several high-profile cases being taken up by the Vacation Bench,the government is suddenly feeling the heat. Most law officers of the government are out of station on pre-scheduled holidays some have not even bothered to inform the Law Ministry about their plans to leave Delhi forcing the ministry to send a missive,asking them to return to the Capital and not leave without prior permission. However,many law officers,including Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium and many ASGs,continue to be away on their annual vacations.

POST HASTE

WHILE the acting chairperson of National Commission for Women (NCW) Yasmeen Abrar was quick to take up the issue of Bhatta Parsaul,Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath did not want to miss any chance to hog the limelight after the Lakhimpur murder incident. Tirath cranked up the media machinery and called for a press conference not once but twice to put up her stand before the media. This has come in the backdrop of the fact that the ministry is in the final stages of naming a new chairperson of the NCW. If sources are to be believed,Rajasthan Congress leader Mamta Sharma is the front-runner for the post.

POWER POLITICS

ENVIRONMENT Minister Jairam Ramesh is facing flak from party colleagues in Uttarakhand for trying to throw a spanner in the ongoing power projects in the state. While Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has been a vocal critic of the Union Environment Minister for pushing the pause button on many hydel projects,he has now found an ally in the Leader of the Opposition Harak Singh Rawat,who has written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi,seeking intervention. Rawat says there is great resentment among people against the Environment Ministrys decision. The Congress is not prepared to let Ramesh spoil the show for the party in the Assembly elections next year.

ENSURING SECURITY

EVEN more than a year after he left the office of the National Security Advisor (NSA) to become the Governor of West Bengal,M K Narayanan has not lost his appeal with foreign diplomats. It is learnt that US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs,Robert Blake,met Narayanan on Friday in Kolkata ahead of his official talks here on Monday. Blake is here to firm up the agenda for US Secretary of State Hillary Clintons visit to New Delhi next month.