House full at Venkaiah’s, again

Poor Kapil Sibal. Things just don’t seem to fall in place for the minister of state for science and technology. And not because he is lacking in merit. He — and not a minister attached to the External Affairs Ministry — has the distinction now of being a minister-in-waiting to every important visiting dignitary of distinction. He was there at President George Bush’s side when he came calling and when French President Jacques Chirac was here. Now the articulate, decorous and protocol-conscious Sibal will be minister-in-waiting to Chinese President Hu Jintao when he visits India this week. So why has the man not been given the foreign portfolio? Remember too that he canvassed support extensively across the world for the Indo-US nuclear deal. Besides, he is known to have the confidence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. For how long will he have to keep waiting?

Out of sight

The Indian security establishment is getting increasingly exasperated and nettled by the growing demands of the Chinese ahead of President Hu Jintao’s visit. After the “embarrassing episode” earlier of a Tibetan protestor sneaking into the IISc campus in Bangalore and waving the Tibetan flag during Premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to the institute, the Chinese have asked that Tibetans be kept out of sight. An over-considerate MEA wants to do all it can for the Chinese, so security agencies have placed key Tibetan leaders under restraining orders, insisting on all kinds of certificates for Tibetans before they leave Dharamsala. They are also keeping a very close watch on the movement of Tibetans to Delhi and Mumbai.

Protest over protests

But were all these enough to satisfy the Chinese? No. Beijing sent an absurd condition that there should be no anti-China protests in Delhi or Mumbai, not even a token of a demonstration at Jantar Mantar. The Chinese were tersely informed that India was a democracy and protests could not be stopped. It was explained that there were huge protests even when US President George W Bush came calling here. So, the Chinese scaled down the request: no effigy burning, please, they said. Excuse us, India’s favourite protest punch? Even Bush effigies were burnt and no one complained. Says a harried official: “They simply cannot understand why we say ‘no’ to such requests and we don’t understand why they even make it.”

Back to Square One

Former Delhi Chief Minister and expelled BJP member Madan Lal Khurana was clearly hiding his real intentions when he showed up at an RSS function at M Venkaiah Naidu’s house the other day. It may not quite be true that he has no plans to return to the party, as he claims. Last week, he apparently met a young BJP leader at a swank Delhi club and immediately broached the subject of his return to the party. He said he wanted to make up with L K Advani and Sushma Swaraj and even tried the sympathy factor by pointing to his poor health — he is visibly ill and is known to suffer from memory lapses. The young saffronite expressed his helplessness in the matter, pointing out how after hurling choice invectives against both BJP seniors, who incidentally have a very good memory, it was impossible for Khurana to find a way back into the party.

Express service

A sea of humanity waiting for a delayed train at the little-known railway station near Saharanpur was in for a surprise last week when Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, on his maiden visit to Darul Uloom, Deoband, to attend a seminar, decided to stop his “MR Special” at the Baman Heri railway station. Intrigued by the abnormally large crowd, Lalu enquired about the problem and was told that a delayed train had caused the chaos. In his typical fashion, Lalu asked the crowds to board his train and chugged off to Saharanpur. While local Railway and security officials stared open-mouthed, Lalu played to the gallery, listening to the problems faced by commuters on the route. Once in Deoband, Lalu announced the double lining of the section, a halt for big trains, and setting up a PRS Counter and more windows at Deoband.

Tripped by queries

The Winter Session of Parliament is round the corner and government departments are busy preparing for Question Hour as well as fulfilling earlier assurances given to the House. One affirmation given to Shiromani Akali Dal MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa last August has had an interesting course. Dhindsa had asked the government to provide details of all foreign trips by state chief ministers. Over 15 months, the Centre has managed to get the details from 27 states and UTs and only three states are holding back — Bihar, Jharkhand and Kerala. Though the Centre sent reminders to the three in October, it’s not very optimistic about getting answers soon and intends to seek time till May 2007 from the House.

Seat rows

And you thought first-row politics only plagued fashion shows. MEA officials have to be artful and dexterous in diplomatic protocol when it comes to seating Indian officials in Hyderabad House. Last Friday, before Hamid Karzai and PM Manmohan Singh made their joint statement, a bespectacled, suited-booted man was busy moving chairs around–apparently there was confusion over the seating for TKA Nair and Shiv Shankar Menon. The first row was mostly filled with the heavies, Pranab Mukherjee, Saifuddin Soz and NSA M K Narayanan. So the Foreign Secretary’s chair was put in the second row. Nair’s chair, however, became a knotty issue. First, it was placed in the front row, next to Narayanan’s, but then news came that Minister of State E Ahamed would be there too. So Nair was quickly placed in the second row. When it became clear Ahamed wasn’t coming, Nair was back in the front. But with Ahamed’s arrival being confirmed again, Nair was quickly shoved back again.

Tailpiece

LK Advani’s birthday bash recently was not the sort of glitzy affair it has been in the past. An akhand path was organised for the BJP leader who turned 79, but there were some prominent absentees — from Sushma Swaraj to the party’s entire Gen Next leaders. None of them showed up for the solemn ceremony and the birthday do. However, Jaswant Singh was there. So were the loyal supporters who had stood by him in the aftermath of the Jinnah episode. Will the spectre of Pakistan’s Qaid-e-Azam never leave the BJP’s lauh purush?