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Insulated from the drip

A couple living in the Aralias,DLF’s sprawling luxury apartments facing the golf course in Gurgaon,was perturbed to discover water seeping into their flat from the ceiling. They complained to the building supervisor that the floor of the penthouse was leaking and water dripped through into their flat,probably from plants being watered excessively. The apartment supervisor was unsympathetic and refused to convey their complaint to the neighbour. The supervisor was reluctant to inform the penthouse owners even after the couple finally agreed in desperation to foot the repair bill. It was only after the couple threatened to alert the media that they were permitted to undertake the necessary repairs. The owners of the penthouse suite,Priyanka and Robert Vadra,who visit the building only occasionally on weekends,were,in all probability,in the dark about the brouhaha in the building over the water leaking from their flat.

Not-so-secure NSA

The absence of proper security safeguards in computer systems at the top levels of the government is borne out by the fact that email IDs in the PMO,the National Security Council secretariat and the Foreign Ministry were hacked at some point. Now,there is fresh embarrassment for the government. The private e mail address of the National Security Adviser,Shivshankar Menon,has been hacked and the hacker has sent strange messages to many on the A-list of Menon’s address book from a fake Menon address.

Non-negotiable demand

The feud between BJP president Nitin Gadkari and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi over the appointment of Sanjay Joshi as a key member of the committee for the UP assembly campaign continues. Modi,who did not show up for the recent BJP national executive in the Capital,has decided not to attend any BJP meeting till the issue is resolved. Other BJP leaders are trying desperately to bring about a rapprochement,but Modi is holding fast.

De-pressing scenario

Even before the new Press Council chief Markandey Katju made his sweeping criticism of the media,he had already rubbed the Editors Guild of India the wrong way. Katju failed to show up,as promised,for an interaction with the guild members,leaving many senior editors cooling their heels. Efforts to trace Katju at his office and residence were of no use. The Press Council chief later telephoned to apologise,explaining that he had forgotten the appointment because of the stress of shifting house. The apology appeared insincere since Katju seemed more interested in finding out the notable names of editors at the guild meet.

Face not passport

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s face is normally a passport which ensures open doors just about anywhere in the country. But the security guard at the house of CNN-IBN’s Rajdeep Sardesai failed to recognise the actor. Khan,whose in-laws live in Panchsheel Park,decided to take a late night stroll in the colony along with Minister of State Rajiv Shukla. When they passed Sardesai’s house,they thought they would drop in,but the guard barred their entry,claiming it was 11.30 p.m. and his boss was not answering his phone. He suggested they leave their names and contact numbers and come back the next day. Khan left a note urging Sardesai to have a good sleep.

Playing caste card

The election of D Srinivas as MLC in the Andhra Assembly for the vacancy created by the departure of K Rosaiah is seen as a significant political move. Srinivas,who belongs to the influential Kapu community,is reportedly being groomed to contain the ongoing Telangana agitation. He is likely to be appointed to a key position in government. The Congress high command reckons that having lost the powerful Reddy vote to Jagan Reddy and the Kamma vote to the TDP,its best bet is wooing the Kapus,if it has to stall the formation of Telangana.