Opinion Mum’s the word

Building a nexus

The BJP’s decision not to go into an alliance with either Om Prakash Chautala or Bhajan Lal in Haryana is now being questioned. There is a story making the rounds that the powerful builder lobby of Haryana played a role in formulating the party strategy. The allegation has gained currency because prominent advertisements for a real estate deal in Gurgaon,in which a businessman affiliated with the BJP reportedly has a stake,appeared during the campaign.

In the Congress camp,there are whispers of internal sabotage. Most of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s rivals,including Birender Singh,failed to get elected. Incidentally,despite Mayawati’s high hopes,the BSP put up a poor performance. The only comfort Mayawati can take is that the bill for her party campaign was footed largely by Bhajan Lal,under the mistaken impression that the BSP would ally with his party.

Sam’s mobile office

Sam Pitroda,who was recently appointed adviser to the PM for infrastructure,innovation and information with cabinet rank status,is still in Chicago,where he works as a consultant. Asked whether his office would be located in the PMO,Pitroda observed that in today’s world of instant communication,an office is not an essential requirement. You can remain busy and connected through computers in whichever part of the world you are based. The appointment of this old Gandhi family favourite has made several cabinet ministers nervous as they apprehend that Pitroda’s areas of interest could impinge on their portfolios. Communications Minister A Raja and Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath are particularly wary.

Portrait gallery removed

Jaswant Singh had an unusual request when he moved into the office of the Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee in Parliament House. He demanded that all the photographs of his 49 predecessors be removed. The photo gallery dates back to pre-Independence days as the committee was instituted in 1921. The cumbersome process of removal meant that the nameplates had to be taken down separately and then tied together with the matching photograph. No one could recognise some of the past British chairpersons.

Perhaps a reason Singh insisted on removing the portrait gallery was because he did not want to look at the faces of some of the past chairpersons who belonged to the BJP,such as Murli Manohar Joshi,Ram Naik and Vijay Kumar Malhotra. On the other hand,Singh has a record of refurbishing offices wherever he goes. Whatever the reason,it does seem an unnecessary exercise. Singh presumably will remain chairperson only till next July and his successor might like to have the photo gallery back.

Anniversary vows

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s latest brainwave is a Shubh Sankalp Yatra in honour of Gujarat’s golden jubilee,which will be celebrated on May 1 next year. Government officials have travelled around the state,requesting people to take a vow to mark this auspicious occasion. The BJP claims that some four million Gujaratis have taken a pledge so far,all of which have been duly noted down in the official database. Some have volunteered to ride a cycle once a week to help cut down pollution levels,a group of lawyers has promised to give free advice to poor clients twice a month,others plan to teach the illiterate and so on. Modi himself will announce his personal pledge with much fanfare closer to the D-day.