Slide Chronology

UNION Shipping Minister G K Vasan’s attempt to rehabilitate his protege M Yuvaraj by putting him into the board of Tuticorin Port Trust is said to have boomeranged. Yuvaraj,who had been elected as Tamil Nadu Youth Congress,was “suspended” early this year purportedly on disciplinary grounds. He had then denied allegation about his suspension being in anyway linked with the controversy surrounding the death of a girl. Subsequently,he was rehabilitated in the port trust last month only to be forced to put in his papers barely a week after his appointment. While his sympathisers claimed that he had resigned because he wanted to focus on party work,sources said Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was enraged by the way the controversial Youth Congress leader had been “rewarded” with a place in the port trust and that forced Vasan to secure his protege’s resignation.

TALENT HUNT

TAKING a cue from Rahul Gandhi’s model to identify Youth Congress leaders through elaborate interviews,Ajay Maken — in charge of the Congress’s publicity and communication department — is on talent hunt. He is set to organise a two-day workshop involving five leaders,including spokespersons,from each state later this month. They will be briefed about the achievements of the UPA government and trained to access and use the relevant data and materials prepared by the research cell. Those showing some “spark” during the training session may be brought to the centre or suitably “rewarded” with important assignments.

GLOBE TROTTING

HRD Minister Pallam Raju is turning quite the globe trotter. While he began the new year with a visit to the UK,he has recently returned from the USA where a university also awarded him an honorary doctorate. The minister has now flown to Australia with a power packed delegation. Accompanying the minister are Secretary School Education R Bhattacharya,Joint Secretary Amit Khare,PS Anil Singhal and chairpersons of both UGC and CBSE — Prof Ved Prakash and Vineet Joshi,respectively. Additional Secretary Amita Sharma was also supposed to be in the team but her name was dropped at the last minute.

TIME TO SPARE

RELIEVED of party responsibility,Ghulam Nabi Azad seems to have done a rethink about his role and functions in his capacity as Union Health Minister. Known to be disinclined to attend non-official functions,the minister has given his consent to be the chief guest at a convocation this week of a beauty clinic that has set up a beauty and nutrition centre.