Union Defence Minister needs some defence

Not to worry, intervened his colleagues, the Union Defence Minister returning from Washington empty-handed would have been more of an embarrassment than Mr Karat’s passionate speech in Constitution Club.

Meanwhile, watching Mukherjee twist and turn, his colleague External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh is a bit flummoxed. Perhaps, Mukherjee should take a leaf from Natwar’s book. Not exactly a Washington cheerleader, Natwar was the one who called on Manmohan Singh to fix a meeting for the Cabinet to okay the Open Skies Agreement with the US in March. Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel was summoned from Kolkata to put up the proposal the same day. Natwar told the PM that US Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta had been asked to come to New Delhi to sign the agreement—and he couldn’t go back empty-handed.

Of course, the Left has no reason to protest more flights to the US. The toiling non-EPF masses don’t want to go to Disneyland—and Air-India union bosses have all the free tickets they need.

His Secy follows sign of the times

Continuing with Mr Mukherjee…his Defence Secretary Ajai Vikram Singh is playing safe. Aware that the CBI and the CVC have become great instruments in the hands of anyone who comes to power, he has decided to err on the side of caution. So helped by a joint secretary, he is watching the files in his Inbox grow. Some say there are hundreds of files awaiting his signature but Secretary Singh, due to retire by the end of this month, has realised that he doesn’t want to spend his golden years testifying to commissions of inquiry. He knows that 38 weapons procurement cases are now with the CBI so he’s decided: no signature means a great retirement.

Once upon a time in the BJP, there was Mahavir

BJP-RSS veteran and former governor Bhai Mahavir recently surfaced from oblivion when he lashed out against L K Advani’s ideological ‘‘deviations.’’ But it was Bhai Mahavir—or rather his formidable wife—who was responsible for Advani’s elevation as a leader more than three decades ago. Old-timers in the BJP recall that though Bhai Mahavir was among the founders of Jana Sangh (and an RSS favourite for being the son of freedom fighter Bhai Parmanand), his wife never had much time for his ‘‘unremunerative’’ politics.

When Atal Behari Vajpayee completed his term as Jana Sangh chief in 1973, he asked Advani to be his successor. But Advani, till then more of a backroom boy, was hesitant to take up the high-profile job. He suggested Bhai Mahavir’s name and Vajpayee agreed. The two went to Bhai Mahavir’s Rajinder Nagar residence in west Delhi to persuade him to become Jana Sangh president. But Mrs Mahavir would have none of it. As they drove back dejectedly, Vajpayee told Advani that since his ‘‘candidate’’ was not available, Advani would have to take up the post. And Advani shrugged, sighed, and agreed—and hasn’t looked back since.

Meanwhile, for readers of this newspaper, Bhai Mahavir isn’t an unknown name. His reflections have often appeared on the editorial page.

Leaving on a Jet plane for the United States

Jet Airways may be facing unexpected problems in obtaining its clearance from Washington to fly to the US but indications are that it will find New Delhi backing its case as the government prepares to respond to a letter from the US Embassy.

The US Charge d’ Affaires sought security details on Jet Airways after a Maryland-based airline company with the same name—and which by the way is yet to launch an airline—alleged that Jet (India) was linked with Dawood Ibrahim and the Al-Qaeda. The Civil Aviation Ministry is now in consultation with the Ministry of External Affairs to draft its reply.

Insiders say the Civil Aviation Ministry cannot take a stand that would undermine the credibility of the permission its own offices had given to Jet to fly abroad including the US. In fact, when an airline is issued a letter allotting it bilateral rights to fly to another country, a copy of the same is sent to the embassy of that country in India.

In sum, the US Embassy has a copy of the official communication that allows Jet to apply for services to the US. These permits are issued on the basis of an annual security clearance by the Home Ministry of the board of directors of the airline concerned.

The board of Jet Airways had received this clearance before it floated its IPO this year. There were questions raised last year but that too did not yield adverse results. And anyways, Jet’s flying to London. What’s OK with Mr Blair is more than OK with Mr Bush.

7/7 stalks Singh’s 8/7 in London

On July 8, the India House in London was to complete 75 years of its existence. With Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the city, the Indian High Commission planned a reception befitting the occasion. The guest list of about 100 is said to have included London’s high and flighty.

Built by renowned architect Herbert Baker, who is also credited with building North and South Blocks and Parliament House in Delhi, India House is counted among the famous heritage buildings of London.

But 7/7 cast a shadow and the High Commission called off the function, wrote letters to each of the guests and, instead, held a small ceremony for the PM unveil a plaque to mark the occasion. A message from British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was also read out.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister departed from his official text to express solidarity with Britain while delivering his speech at Oxford where he was honoured for ‘‘lifting more men and women out of poverty than any other human being.’’ The Left, please take note.

Let’s work hard, reshuffle on the cards

Ask any Congressman/woman about the proposed Cabinet reshuffle in the Manmohan Singh government and he/she will smile. The Prime Minister was meant to reshuffle his Cabinet on May 22, the first anniversary of the UPA government but it didn’t happen. Two months down the line, the PM is still not sure with Congress President Sonia Gandhi indicating to him that she will be happy with whatever he suggests.

The delay, though, has had the desired effect on several Congress ministers not exactly known for their performance. Home Minister Shivraj Patil, even after undergoing angioplasty in Mumbai, was on his feet in two days handling the Gurjarat floods. Power Minister P M Sayeed has gone on a media blitzkrieg, calling one and all to brief them on his plans for the ministry. External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh is hardly in the Capital these days as he flits from one country to the other.

The last buzz was that a ‘‘minor Cabinet reshuffle’’ would take place this week with the induction of JMM’s Shibu Soren as Coal Minister and one Congressman for the Sports portfolio—probably July 11. The PM goes to US next Sunday and returns to face Parliament on July 25. So the tongues keep wagging—and Ministers keep working.

Asian Games 2014, Olympics 20??

On June 30, India officially put in its bid for the 2014 Asian Games with PM Manmohan Singh sending a letter to the organisers assuring them that the red carpet would be ready for the expected 7,000 athletes and officials. But are things in place? At a recent meeting, the Cabinet was informed that the Games would require an investment of around Rs 4,000 crore as the consultant hired for the job has said that both the Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi stadia would have to be revamped. Add to this, the games village expenditure, the amount simply soars.

When Finance Minister P Chidambaram told his colleagues, with the PM watching, that he had not seen one scrap of paper on the budget of the games, HRD Minister Arjun Singh, who heads the GoM, admitted that progress had been tardy. So was the government serious about holding the games? Yes, yes, yes, said the Cabinet. Their logic: India could not seriously aspire for global power status if it could not even hold the Asian Games. Rather than be daunted by the expenditure, the Cabinet went further and told the PM that India should actually be looking towards hosting the Olympics. Who said ambition is made of sterner stuff?