LETus hark back to the time when that formidable gang of three – HKL Bhagat, Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar – was dictating terms in Congress party politics. The High Command imported the daughter-in-law of party veteran Umashankar Dixit to Delhi from Uttar Pradesh to get rid of the trio. Sheila Dixit was brought in as the state Congress
president and, after victory in the Assembly polls, was anointed Chief Minister in December 1998. In her second term as CM, she has become a thorn in the side of that very same High Command which can neither contain nor jettison her. Worsening civic amenities, corruption in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, skyrocketing veg etable prices, “killer” Blueline buses, unending power cuts, eternally dry taps in more than half of Delhi, defeat in the local body elections, infighting among the party cadre are all being attributed to her lackadaisical style of functioning. Besides, tales of nepotism and corruption by her kith and kin have also reached 10 Janpath. Worst of all, Dixit’s utterances against the people of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh,
blaming them for Delhi’s plight, sent shock waves through the party headquarters for political reasons. A damage control exercise was launched immediately to woo the mas sive block of Bihari voters in Delhi. The victory of Mayawati’s party, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), in municipal elections in a number of Congress strongholds has also given sleepless nights to the party High Command. Political analysts attribute the BSP’s rise to Dixit’s deliberate neglect of Dalit IAS officers. The state Congress leaders have long been wondering what trump card is proving Dixit’s shield against the wrath of the Congress High Command. Lately there has come a disclosure that it is the convenient TINA (There Is No Alternative) factor that is bailing her out over and again. It had never occurred to her opponents. Better late than never, they are now working on a sting opera tion and are quite sure Dixit’s days are numbered
Chidambaram cooks sugar scenario
bittersweet flavour
STRANGE,but deliberate,are the ways of Union Finance Minister PChidambaram to contain the rate of inflation by assigning a much higher weightage to sugar vis-à-vis food crops in the Wholesale Price Index (WPI). The sugar sector has been at the receiving end since the beginning of the sugar season last year. Sugar prices registered a 20-25 per cent decline within three months.The situation worsened when the government increased the minimum price payable to the sugarcane farmers and followed it with a further increase in various states through notifications.The sharp increase in cost of production and steep fall in sugar prices rendered the sugar industry unviable. When sugar prices declined last year in the domestic and global markets,the sector was set to reap the export boom for the first time. But the government banned its export. The reason given was that the increase in sugar prices was causing infla tionary pressure on the economy. However, figures spoke otherwise. The sugar price index – at 108 in mid-February– had declined to about 100 in mid-July (base January 1,2006).The declining sugar prices were unfairly utilized to create a negative impact on WPI at the cost of the sugar industry.This suited Chidambaram’s objective of containing general inflation on paper. And perhaps the unjustified higher weightage of 3.6 per cent given to sugar in the index made his job easy.
Magnanimous Ansari
easygoing vp
Hamid Ansari, the new Vice-President of India, is a known face on televi sion, and in academic and diplomatic circles. But this apolitical figure had minimal experience of dealing with traditional Congress workers. That is, until his cam paign for election to this august office. Although Ansari’s victory was a foregone conclusion, he was unwilling to take any chances and contacted potential voters and Congress leaders personally. Three days before polling, he called the office of Congress veteran Mohsina Kidwai, Rajya Sabha member and former Central minister, at her residence. Prashant Kumar Sharma, her parliamen tary representative and a Youth Congress worker, took the call. Ansari introduced him self as just that – “Ansari” – and asked to be put through to Kidwai. But Sharma sought to know the caller’s full name and location. The suave Ansari laughed and said the introduction he had furnished was more
than enough and again asked for the call to be forwarded. In the next few moments, a verbal tug of war ensued. Finally, Sharma said in a rough tone that unless the caller disclosed his full name and location, he would not be con nected to Kidwai. Ansari yielded and finally got to speak to her. The next day, Ansari came to Kidwai’s resi dence and spent an hour with her in discus sions. Coming out after the meeting, Ansari asked for Sharma. The staff panicked as everyone thought Sharma was going to be ticked off for misbehaviour. But the large hearted Ansari walked down to the office and, as Sharma stood up to greet him, he affectionately patted him on the back and said, “Well done, boy. Meet me any time you like. Leaders need workers like you.
Travails of being Laloo’s guru
socialism-chara divide
Satpal Malik,a former MP and a socialist to the core,was the blue-eyed boy of Chaudhry Charan Singh.In the early 1970s,whenever the Mandal bene ficiaries came to meet Singh,they felt privileged to get political lessons from Malik.Later,circumstances led them to becoming Chief Ministers and Central Ministers.Among them is the controversial Laloo Prasad Yadav,who founded and promoted the “chara”school of thought during his days as Chief Minister of Bihar.A few days ago,Laloo saw Malik in the Central Hall of Parliament and rushed towards him.After initial greetings,Laloo expressed his sadness over the fact that his political guru had never met him during his long innings as Bihar Chief Minister or as Railways Minister. Malik,knowing well the tale of the rise of his one-time political trainee
and his about-turn from the socialist path, smiled without comment. Laloo would not relent, reiterating that Malik should see him if he needed anything done and promising to repay his long overdue debt.Those nearby who were eavesdropping on the conversation immediately latchedonto Malik to try and get work done through him.Malik is having a hard time avoiding them since.
