Say it with maths
Prashant Kishor, the Congress strategist, got an unpleasant surprise when he tried to get his expenses passed by the blunt, no nonsense Congress treasurer Motilal Vora. Without batting an eyelid, Vora asked Kishor to do some simple maths. “First cut down this figure in half.” Kishor did so. Then Vora thought for a while and said, “Can you cut this in half too?” Kishor did the math, albeit grudgingly. But Vora was still not through. After a couple more sums, Vora finally smiled in satisfaction and agreed to pay the visibly reduced amount, but in instalments. One wonders if Kishor will offer the same mathematical sums when Rahul Gandhi asks him to deliver election winning seats.
New Age BJP
BJP supporters are somewhat confused why the party decided to hold its national executive in Kozhikode this weekend, during the shraadh. This period is considered inauspicious and usually politicians are wary of conducting any important event during this period. Is the BJP under Narendra Modi-Amit Shah shedding some of its old inhibitions?
Partying for a Cause
If the cause is right then it gets a strong support, more so if the ambience is right too. Last week, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was in the capital to launch a book on wildlife photographs clicked and compiled by Anjali and Jaissal Singh. Called Jawai the Land of the Leopard, the book has exquisite photographs of the big cat in its natural surrounding and the topic at the launch too was conservative tourism. The launch party held at the colonial Bikaner House was well attended, some credit for which surely must go to Jaissal’s mother Malvika Singh. Priyanka Vadra, Sheila Dikshit, Renuka Chowdhury, Pavan Verma, Kiran Bedi, Neha Prasada (husband Jitin was away working hard in Uttar Pradesh), Mani Shankar Aiyar and Dilip Cherian were present for the launch.
Amar Singh is back
Why did Mulayam Singh Yadav back brother Shivpal over son Akhilesh in the family feud that spilled onto prime time TV last week? One reason for this is that with Amar Singh behind him, Shivpal was flexing his muscle and threatened to split the party. There was also some talk of them tying up with the BJP in a “friendly fight” arrangement. Interestingly, the day Mulayam threw his weight behind Shivpal, both Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh were in Lucknow, albeit for their own party work. Interestingly, the break point too came after Amar Singh hosted a party in the capital’s Ashoka Hotel for Subroto Roy Sahara and this was attended by Shivpal, Mulayam, the sacked and now reinstated minister Gayatri Prajapati and the sacked Chief Secretary Deepak Singhal. It was this show of strength that got Akhilesh’s goat for he was the only one who stayed away from the party. Well, maybe now he has got the message: Amar Singh is well and truly back. And he will just have to deal with it.