Himachal Pradesh is fast becoming the preferred haunt for high-profile politicians of every hue, while for the common man such aspirations remain a distant dream. The leaders of the teeming millions find the Himalayan state the best place to relax and rejuvenate themselves for a fresh charge along the road to power When former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee chose to buy a house in Manali to spend holidays with his family away from 7 Race Course Road, the registration and possession of the property was smooth And after the UPA-led government replaced the Vajpayee regime, a member of the Gandhi family similarly desired a Himalayan abode—in this case in Shimla.
The entire power structure of the state swung into action to fulfil Priyanka Gandhi’s wish. The Congress Chief Minister, Virbhadra Singh, and his wife lost no time in visiting the site and issuing instructions for hassle-free transfer of the property. Immediately after the CM’s visit, Divisional Commissioner of Shimla, Tarun Kapoor, registered his presence at the chosen site Within no time, the entire paperwork and formalities were completed, and all that was left was for the potential buyer to come up from Delhi and sign the registration papers .
But the state administration now went even further out of its way to facilitate The state administration went even further out of its way to facilitate the daughter of the Congress chief. It exempted her from personal appearance. The Secretary General, Administration of the state, VC Furka, flew to Delhi, carrying the all-important documents and got Priyanka’s signature on them. Now, Shimla can boast of having one more VIP resident.
Queen Mayawati’s
courtier
UP Chief Minister Mayawati’s penchant for the larger-than-life is well known—witness the construction of Ambedkar Park in Lucknow, Dalit rallies, birthday celebrations, or sweeping corrective or punitive measures. Following her example, Shashank Shekhar Singh, the pilot famously transplanted from the cockpit to the specially created UP Cabinet Secretary’s chair, had his office in the state secretariat redone on the pattern of a five-star hotel. He knows well that queen size is in.
Singh has absolute power, more so since Satish Mishra was assigned the task of touring states going to the hustings to re-employ the His absence suits Singh well, and the entire state bureaucracy is wondering why Mayawati reposes such trust in him. Is it old friendship, perfect public relations skill, or administrative skill?
The truth seems to lie elsewhere. Mayawati may have disbanded the controversial UP Vikas Parishad of Mulayam Singh Yadav, Ambani, Amitabh Bachchan, and Amar Singh, but her regime has similarly embarked on huge developmental projects in power, transport, and construction. Her promise of transparent and honest governance notwithstanding, things are pretty much the same. But there is one major difference: Singh sees to it that all benefits from these massive projects reach the CM in toto, keeping nothing for himself or anyone else. This is why the queen likes him.
Advani, disputed
leader
Times are tough for the BJP’s faithful cadre. “Follow the leader” has never proved so difficult to play. Their predicament lies not in how to follow, but whom to follow Some time ago, the party patriarch had declared in Shimla that there are many leaders in the outfit. He had hit the nail on the head unintentionally The recent meeting in Bhopal was supposed to have resolved the leadership crisis, but at the end of the two-day session, the issue had only got muddier.
The party president was driven to the wall by the Advani camp, which just They stopped short of declaring their man the Prime Ministerial candidate. Rajnath Singh fired back from the shoulders of his new B team, made up mostly of former Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (the RSS’ student wing) activists Goaded by their patron saint in the RSS, the group took on Advani Next came a hurried missive from Atal Bihari Vajpayee, saying the question of his return didn’t arise as he hadn’t gone away in the first place. The Advani camp sulked and ducked under the Ram Setu issue.
It appears that, though the old guard in the RSS is ready to “forget and forgive” Advani for his faux pas on Jinnah, the second rung is intent on pinning him down. But Advani cannot get within harking distance of the PM’s house without the help of the Sangh Parivar, now totally in the hands of ABVP loyalists, new-generation pracharaks, and opportunist elements. And if Advani misses the bus this time, he is unlikely to get another opportunity to lead the party in the polls. Yet the new group of talibs is prepared to grant the Congress another five-year term rather than be forced to acknowledge Advani as leader.
