Opinion Crafty and unconvincing

Subtle sniper fire

There was subtle evidence that all is not well between BJP President Nitin Gadkari and L K Advani at the function to mark the release of a compilation of Gadkari’s speeches titled ‘Roads to Development’. Advani,who presided over the ceremony,did not wax eloquent over Gadkari’s leadership capabilities or the quality of the BJP president’s speeches,as is expected on such occasions. He just made a few cursory remarks on the pretext that after Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had spoken there was little to add. This was rather churlish since Gadkari had expressed his admiration for the BJP patriarch in no uncertain terms. Recalling that he was in such awe of Advani that every time the BJP elder visited Nagpur,he would stand next to his car. Incidentally,if examined closely,the comments of Narendra Modi’s blog on Advani’s yatra are not too flattering. Modi,Advani’s rival for prime ministership,points out that Baba Ramdev must be credited with spreading the message about government not taking action against black money and Anna Hazare for giving shape to the mass agitation against corruption. Reading between the lines it sounds as if he is suggesting that Advani has launched a “me-too’’ campaign.

Further delay

An unusually large number of top slots in the government lie vacant. The names of the secretaries for health,information and broadcasting,information technology and panchayati raj and youth affairs are yet to be announced. There is no Provident Fund commissioner,no chairperson of the Competition Commission or the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority. Some members of regulatory bodies have not been appointed despite court orders. Several leading public sector undertakings are headless. The delay in appointments is blamed on the drift in government,reeling from a series of scams. Many of the files pending in the PMO are unlikely to be cleared before the middle of next month. The new Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister,Pulok Chatterjee,who is responsible for liaising with the appointment committees to the Cabinet,is busy in preparations for his daughter’s wedding on November 6.

Changing relationships

In the wake of the 2G scam,personal equations have changed in the top echelons of the government. Pranab Mukherjee and P Chidambaram have shared a rocky relationship for a while,but of late there is a discernible coolness between the Prime Minister and his Finance Minister as well. This is attributed to Mukherjee’s hurt and anger at the failure of the PM to defend him for his note on the 2G scam,which was released through RTI, even though the note had major inputs from the PMO. On the other hand,a new warmth has crept into Mukherjee’s relations with Sonia Gandhi after a lengthy interaction with the party president. Significantly,Mukherjee recently applauded Rahul Gandhi’s leadership potential. Meanwhile,the friendship between Mamata Banerjee and Mukherjee has soured,even as the Prime Minister attempts to be conciliatory,backing Banerjee on some issues on which Mukherjee has differences with her.

Yatra fellow-travellers

There is some unease in BJP circles at the prominence given to Advani’s daughter,Pratibha. A filmmaker,Pratibha organised the yatra’s theme song and played mistress of ceremonies at the song release. Her presence by her father’s side adds glamour to the yatra but her jewellery and stylish outfits are out of place in the dusty countryside. The emergence of Ananth Kumar as the master of ceremonies,has also raised eyebrows. The co-convener of the rath,Ravi Shankar Prasad,has been put quite in the shade. The BJP patriarch is reportedly dependent on Kumar for financial and organisational inputs. Although each party unit is to foot the yatra’s expenses while it is in its territory,there are additional costs such as hiring special aircraft and helicopters and conveying the motorised rath from one destination to the next. Even journalists,who went to Bihar to witness the first lap of the journey,were put up at a plush hotel.