brilliant stroke at oath ceremony
Sushma Swaraj brings her own unique style to anything she does. For instance, her clothes are colour-coordinated according to the day of the week. Just seeing her will tell you what day it is. Far and above this, she understands the pulse of the moment and uses it to make the news. Out of the approximately 500 MPs who took oath over two days, she was the one who stood out. Most of them took the oath in Hindi or English, but Swaraj took it in Sanskrit.
Now, the fact is that she knows both Hindi and English very well. So was the choice of Sanskrit intended to show the nation that she is more competent than her colleagues or was she addressing some other constituency?
Having started her political career as a socialist, Swaraj is acutely aware that she is not one of the Rashtriya Swyamsewak Sangh homegrowns. Hers was a late entry into the BJP. And now she wants to prove that she is more loyal than the king. Hence, say BJP insiders, she took the oath in Sanskrit in order to send a message down the RSS line that she is the real inheritor of the legacy of the Sanskritized organization.
Swine flu and reality shock
health ministry comes down to earth
As soon as word spread of the arrival in India of swine flu, the new government’s Health Ministry swung into action. Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is a veteran and his experience stood him in good stead. Secretary Naresh Dayal briefed the new Minister about the action taken by the Ministry to deal with swine flu and Ministry officials then suggested release of a half-page advertisement educating the public about the infection. Ministry officials were under the impression that, like his predecessor, Anbumani Ramadoss, the new Minister too would be keen to advertise his initiatives.
The officials were in for a shock. Azad told them to forget about the advertisement, and instead tell him what the Ministry could achieve in 100 days. So the Ministry’s resources will no longer be spent on advertising the veritable dreams of its head!
Krishna’s teething problems
south block in jitters
It’s no rocket science that the work of a Chief Minister or Governor is much easier because the responsibility is limited to the state. Apparently, newly-appointed External Affairs Minister SM Krishna had not realized this. He is experienced and suave, but this is the first time he is holding such a post. Besides, as External Affairs Minister, a person is under intense media scrutiny with every spoken word being held up as stated policy.
A TV anchor recently interviewed Krishna, and was told that the interview would have to be recorded again as the Minister’s comments about CTBT were not in accordance with South Block perceptions. The anchor was taken aback as he was under no obligation to oblige South Block. However, he yielded and the interview was recorded again. But Krishna committed the same mistake.
The South Block officers now requested that the earlier version be telecast as it was in the end the lesser evil. The babus then humbly requested the new Minister to consult them and get briefings whenever he has to speak about matters such as CTBT, WTO, SAARC, G8 and so on.
He who pays the piper
bjp meet witnesses heartburn
Satya Pal Malik, former firebrand leader of the Jan Morcha, and Sunder Lal Patwa, former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, are both soft-spoken, disciplined members of the BJP. At a recent meeting of the party’s national council, both spoke in an intense and introspective manner and hinted that a party that does not respect its leaders and farmers cannnot progress.
Malik objected to the suggestion by Maneka Gandhi that the party should look at luring the upper castes. He asked how the party could come to power unless it concerned itself with farmers. He pointed out that the election manifesto said nothing on the issue of minimum support price. The Muslims and Brahmins had returned to the Congress fold and the BJP could not afford to adopt the upper caste line. Malik cited P Sainath statement that a Chief Minister who cared for the poor and the farmer would always come back to power.
Patwa then hinted about the letter writing war. He said he had thought Arun Shourie to be an intellectual, and could not understand why he was attacking the leaders who had built up the party. Patwa and Malik well know that the letters business was masterminded by one of the party bosses. Shourie’s Rajya Sabha term ends next March. No prizes for guessing who will secure him another term.
