Family bonding

Sushma Swaraj had just a couple of days ago held Anant Kumar among others responsible for getting the controversial Bellary brothers ministerial berths in Karnataka,triggering unease in the BJP.

Family bonding

Sushma Swaraj had just a couple of days ago held Anant Kumar among others responsible for getting the controversial Bellary brothers ministerial berths in Karnataka,triggering unease in the BJP. On Wednesday,when the two shared a dais at a BJP function,it was more than just a show of unity. Sitting next to each other,Kumar and Swaraj constantly chatted and laughed,apparently sharing some jokes. When he spoke,Kumar went a step further and lavished praise on her,even referring her as sangarsh ki mashaal. She nodded in appreciation and patted him affectionately when he resumed his seat. More warmth was in the offing. Swaraj referred to Kumar as her younger brother when she began her speech. For,BJP is parivar after all.

Courting the Baba

The governments heavy hitters led by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee were in for quite a surprise when they reached Delhi airport to hold discussions with Baba Ramdev on his anti-corruption crusade. Though they had been briefed that some close associates of the Baba would be present in the meeting,little did they know that it would also include a former journalist of a Hindi daily and a columnist as well. The entire retinue trooped into the VIP lounge of the airport and held discussions for over two hours,with the topics ranging from corruption to the PDS system,MSP to farmers and the curative properties of ayurvedic medicines. The four ministers had little choice but to nod their heads in agreement to the contentions that some of Ramdevs associates put forth. Dealing with Ramdev is clearly going to be a spiritual experience.

Security Snafus

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The security agencies went into a tizzy when they received an alert that a 26/11 fugitive had been caught at the Delhi airport. The alert said that one of the key suspects,Major Iqbal,had been detained. The agencies,which recently had goofed up on the most wanted terror list,felt it prudent to cross check. It turned out the man in question was named Javed Iqbal and was detained because his name vaguely matched the one who had been put on a red corner notice for the Mumbai 26/11 attack. Without making a big fuss about the detention,the authorities released him immediately within minutes.

No Takers

Who is more creative members of the Lok Sabha or the staff of the Lower House Secretariat? One is entitled to ask this question after a look at Sansadiya Manjusha,the Lok Sabha magazine,which is ready for launch. Even after repeated requests,the Secretariat has been able to attract only seven contributions from members,including Speaker Meira Kumar,in comparison to 40 from the staff,ranging from clerks to the Secretary-General. Clearly no best-seller is in the making.

Warning Signals

Law Minister Veerappa Moily is somewhat upset these days. Not only is the buzz growing that he may be a victim of the impending Cabinet reshuffle,but there are also small indicators like not being part of the team of ministers asked to go to meet Baba Ramdev at the airport on Wednesday. Given the fact that he is the convenor of the joint drafting committee of the Lokpal Bill with the Anna Hazare group,one would have expected him to be part of this exercise. Instead,he was in Shastri Bhawan office drawing up his list of achievements as Law Minister that was later put out for the media.