Inside Track

On the other hand, the self-proclaimed agnostic DMK seems to have survived the eclipse better. Jayalaitha had decided to pull out of the Vajpayee Government on August 16 and had even worked out the the time frame. At 7 a.m. her alliance partners were to hold meetings of their executive committees and pass resolutions urging the withdrawal of support to the Government which were then to be forwarded to Jayalalitha. She in turn had scheduled a national press conference at 10.30 a.m. to announce her bomb shell. But Jayalalitha’s usually compliant alliance partners, the MDMK, the PMK and the TRC displayed a new-founded rebelliousness. They were not willing to follow Jayalalitha blindly. Amma had to cancel her press conference.

Cutting off funds

A complaint from a disabled rights group about the Ministry of Welfare’s inadequacies, including not appointing a Commissioner for the Disabled, was forwarded last week by the Prime Minister’s Office to the ministry. The intrepid Minister of State for Welfare Maneka Gandhi refused to take the criticism lying down. Her ministry promptly dashed off a long list of the Welfare Ministry’s recent achievements and pointed out that a Commissioner for the Handicapped was already in place.

The ministry felt the complaint might have been triggered off by personal pique, since the convener of the disabled rights group also happens to be looking after the disabilities division of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. The RGF in the past received annual grants of around Rs 1 crore from the ministry, most of which went in purchasing tricycles for the handicapped which were distributed by Sonia Gandhi with great fanfare at a special function. But the estranged sister-in-law Maneka Gandhi had stopped the grants to the foundation since the new policy of the ministry is to encourage constructive projects rather than simply doling out hand-outs or organising seminars. Gandhi’s point is that if it is just a question of buying tricycles then the ministry could do the job itself rather than provide photo opportunities for others. Particularly when the RGF has a handsome corpus of Rs 43 crore of its own.

Headless wonder

The haphazard manner in which the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) appoints and replaces Indian High Commissioners in London suggests that Indo-British relations has a very low priority. The last High Commissioner Salman Haidar quit abruptly at the end of June after he was informed out of the blue that “ his resignation had been accepted”. Just a month earlier while he was in Delhi he was told to stay on. Some three weeks back, the Government announced that Secretary (West) Lalit Mansingh would take over as High Commissioner, but NRIs in UK are still waiting for the next occupant of 9 Kensington Palace Gardens to show up. (Even the press councillor at the High Commission is on two months long leave.) Mansingh’s arrival may take a while yet, since he is first to accompany President K.R. Narayanan on his fortnight-long trip to Europe early next month. The number two at India House, London, is also departing since Hardeep Puri, a joint secretary in the MEA, has been appointed as his successor.

Triangular force

When the Samata Party’s George Fernandes talked in an interview of a realignment of forces he was not speaking in vague generalities. Fernandes has been actively conferring with R.K. Hedge of the Lok Shakti over the possibility of teaming up. The Biju Janata Dal led by Naveen Patnaik is the third angle in the triangle. While the possibility of an outright merger is a later step, the three parties are keen to first work together as a group. After watching with dismay the manner in which the AIADMK successfully bullied the Government and how at the same time the Vajpayee Government sidestepped its loyal allies before taking major decisions, the three feel it makes good sense to form a heavy-weight pressure group of their own.

Belying his reputation

In a coalition where even single-MP parties can hold the Government to ransom Om Prakash Chautala’s Haryana Lok Dal with four MPs has behaved in a remarkably responsible fashion. Chautala, despite the reputation he acquired during the mayhem at Meham, has not held out any threats or indulge in tantrums, even though the BJP is still supporting his arch rival Bansi Lal’s government in Haryana. Chautala has shrewdly calculated that it is better to get his work done quietly in key ministries by the present government while he waits for the right moment to strike.