Table-hopping

minister. Lalu has acquired newfound celebrity status in the world of finance for turning around the railways. Nitish is credited with showing visible improvement in

Bihar’s administration, although Lalu had thrown up his hands and dubbed Bihar ungovernable.

Last week, Nitish was asked by a journalist in Delhi whether he had been invited to Harvard University, alluding to Lalu’s popularity with visiting MBA students from the top east coast US universities such as Harvard, Wharton, and MIT. Nitish replied that in fact he had been invited last year by Stanford University, the leading university on America’s west coast, but he had declined as he was busy tackling the drought in the state. Instead, this month Stanford is holding a mirror conference in Patna. Nitish added that his concern was making his state better known internationally, not his own face — a dig at Lalu, no doubt.

Most favoured

In August, our ambassadors to the US, the UK, and Russia will have completed their tenures. All three envoys, Ronen Sen, Kamlesh Sharma, and Kanwar Sibal, enjoy a most-favoured status with the powers that be in Delhi — in fact they were given a year’s extension in their present posts. South Block is already buzzing as to where these superannuated diplomats could be accommodated next. A suggestion has been made that Sharma should shift to Washington if Sen decides to call it a day. But Sharma has reportedly set his sights on the post of secretary general of the Commonwealth, as it is the turn for an Asian to get the job. The government, after the embarrassing defeat of Shashi Tharoor for the secretary general’s post at the United Nations, is a little nervous about putting its prestige on the line for an election to an international body, unless it is a sure shot.

If Sen does not continue in Washington, many see him as a logical replacement for M.K. Narayanan as national security adviser, the latter being totally out of sync with the prime minister, particularly over Pakistan.

Elite club

Gursharan Kaur hosted a lunch for the spouses of SAARC leaders, which included a music recital and a fashion show, where one lady minister tripped on the ramp. Kaur was persuaded to give her first formal interview to the media after moving to Race Course Road. But although she said very little and scrupulously refrained from making any controversial statement, the interview has caused much heartburn. Only journalists from three English TV channels and one or two senior editors were invited.

Kaur remarked that she would like to see a woman leader as one of the participants at the SAARC summit, this being one of the few years when the regional get-together was an all-male affair. Normally, Bangladesh is represented by either Begum Khaleda Zia or Sheikh Hasina. Benazir Bhutto has been missing for many years and so has Chandrika Kumaratunga. Sonia Gandhi, although the power behind the throne, cannot attend as she is not the de jure head of the government.

Strange query

The new All-India Service Rules released this year are replete with innumerable questions asking for all sorts of personal details, verifications and inputs. Particularly embarrassing for women IAS officers is a query about their menstrual history. They have been asked to list last LMP and date of last confinement. Now is that really necessary?