Late bloomer

BJP leader Arun Jaitley scoffs at those who defend Rahul Gandhi’s predilection to put his foot in his mouth by citing his young age and inexperience. Jaitley points out that Rahul is no longer so young to be still at the learning stage. Rahul is now 38, the same age as Britain’s Conservative leader David Cameron, who is already acknowledged as the shadow prime minister. Both Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharief became prime minister at that age. Rahul’s father Rajiv was just two years older than him when he was sworn in prime minister. Tony Blair and Bill Clinton were also 42 when they first assumed the top office in their respective nations.

Upside down talk

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh convened a meeting of leaders of political parties, other than those of the Left, to discuss the proposed draft to the Supreme Court on the OBC reservations issue. Janata Dal president Sharad Yadav suggested that the government should start the formalities for a caste-based census, as suggested by the court, since the last one in 1931 was outdated. Union Law Minister H.R. Bhardwaj protested that this would turn everything “ulat phulat (upside down)”. At present no state has authentic up-to-date data on caste break-up.

Batting for bamboo

Mizoram Governor Lt General M.M. Lakhera has been an activist in whatever post he has held, whether it was Lt Governor of Pondicherry, or as in-charge of the AICC’s ex-servicemen’s cell. Now that he has been promoted to Mizoram, Lakhera is espousing the cause of bamboo cultivation with great vigour. He has made four trips to Delhi to discuss the issue of bamboo plantation, particularly as this year the bamboo will be flowering in the northeast after a decade. Finding Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar unresponsive to his plea, that several hundred crores be allocated for bamboo plantation over the next 10 years, Lakhera had the gumption to suggest to the minister that he should concentrate less on BCCI and more on bamboo.

... contd.