Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma's neutrality may earn him the Prime Minister's post if goings on in the Congress and the UF are any indication. Other possibilities are receding fast. There are no takers for Sitaram Kesri, either in the UF or in his own party. Mulayam Singh Yadav and GK Moopanar cannot find a solution to the DMK imbroglio which brought the downfall of the Gujral Government. The BJP has failed to work out a plan to muster the magical figure of 272.No party is ready for an election, a national government is not feasible either. This situation has brought Sangma under the spotlight.While President KR Narayanan has started exploring possibilities of installing a ``stable'' Government by any combination of parties, anti-Kesri Congress leaders and UF constituents are working overtime to evolve a consensus in Sangma's favour. The Left has been assigned the task of persuading the DMK to stay away from the new set-up.Last-minute largesseA few hours before IK Gujral tendered his resignation, a few retiring bureaucrats got extensions. The Prime Minister's private secretary TKA Nair has got an year's extra term and R Gopalanathan, the chairman of the Central Board of Excise and Customs, four months to prepare the next Budget. Bureaucrats wonder how there could be a Budget if there is no Government.Gujral explored the possibility of appointing Mata Prasad as the new Cabinet Secretary as the tenure of TSR Subramanian ends on December 31. Kesri reportedly rang up Gujral thrice to argue Prasad's case. But the Rashtrapati Bhawan said it would not be proper to appoint a new Cabinet Secretary at this stage.Equal ranksBefore putting in his papers, Gujral earned a few friends in the police force. He cleared the long-pending demand of the IPS officers to bring them at par with fellow IAS officers. The IAS enjoyed a two-year superiority over the IPS. While IAS officers of the 1965 batch have the rank of Secretary in the Government of India now, IPS officers of the 1963 batch have the same rank.Gujral, however, cleared the appointments of several IPS officers belonging to 1965 batch for the post of Director-General of Police in the rank and pay of a secretary. The BSF, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and other organisations will have new DGs belonging to the 1965 batch of the IPS.Kuwaiti connectionCivil Aviation Minister CM Ibrahim's sudden love for Kuwait has raised many eyebrows in the Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan. A few months ago, he refused to even meet a Kuwaiti delegation which had come to negotiate landing rights for Kuwait Airlines at Chennai. Ibrahim turned down the request on commercial grounds.But he travelled to Kuwait the moment he saw the Government cracking in the wake of the Jain Commission report. He asked the Kuwaitis to visit India on December 4 so that a formal agreement could be signed. For a change, the Secretary, Civil Aviation, who never saw eye-to-eye with the minister, has also fallen in line.Look who's replyingEver heard of the Revenue Secretary getting a notice from the Income-Tax department? NK Singh got the shock of his life when he received a computerised notice at his residence asking him whether he had got his Permanent Account Number (PAN) and other details. The department also wanted to know the income of his family members. Singh has decided to reply.Jain omissionBhishma Narain Singh, who was the Governor of Tamil Nadu when Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated, is perhaps the only person who held office then and was not called by Justice MC Jain.Rajiv had breakfast with his family and was to visit Bhubneshwar, Vishakhapatnam, Madras and return. Sriperumbudur was not on the schedule. So, Singh was requested to make a State Government aircraft available for Rajiv's Sriperumbudur visit which he obliged.Who requested Singh is still a mystery as Jain has not called him to depose.
