Not so bad
In a recent interaction with The Indian Express staff, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal regaled the gathering with interesting anecdotes from his career. He said once when he applied for visa to travel to the United States, he was interviewed by an over-officious employee of the US embassy. When he perfunctorily asked Badal if he had ever gone to prison, he replied in the affirmative. This shocked him, but he wasn’t prepared for the next jolt. How long? asked the embassy employee.

Sixteen years, said Badal. The visa official nearly fainted at what he perceived to be the ‘audacity’ of the gentleman. However, he was given the visa after the senior officials intervened.

Young and old
In another instance, the Chief Minister said in his long political career, he enjoyed several distinctions. For example, when he became the Chief Minister for the first time, he was the youngest CM in the country. But when he became the Chief Minister for the fourth time in 2007, he was the oldest CM in the country. Even today, he is the second oldest CM; his Kerala counterpart is senior to him, but only by a year.

Monkey trouble
As if the problem of rats was not enough, the Punjab Civil Secretariat is now grappling with the monkey menace. This week, the langoor squad had to be called in to drive away monkeys. Two-year-old Raju, a langoor at a monthly salary of Rs 3,500, was the hero of the operation. The secretariat staff is relieved, at least for now.

... contd.