Death throes

Although Praveen Mahajan?s chief victim may manage to survive, his bullets seem to have felled several others. There is the suspended BJP leader, Madanlal Khurana, whose hopes of a revenge attack seem definitely dead. Angry at being denied an accommodation in the Rajya Sabha, Khurana had been planning a ?pol khol? campaign against the BJP bigwigs ? Pramod Mahajan was one of them. The attempted fratricide has obviously taken the steam out of Khurana. Then there is Vinay Katiyar in Rae Bareli, whose hopes of winning against Sonia Gandhi are dying a slow death in the absence of oratorial support from Pramod and leaders of his stature. The presence of Uma Bharti in Rae Bareli in support of her nominee, Prabha Singh, is only making things worse. Then again, at some distance away, there are the two forlorn rath yatris ? Rajnath Singh and LK Advani ? the life of their campaign gradually draining away in the lack of public attention. The media managers of both have tried to lure journalists with offers to fly them to join the yatra, but none seem to have showed much interest. Add to this the complete chaos in the party?s stand of foreign issues like Nepal and the nuclear deal and you will realize why we suspect the BJP is battling for life.

Back with a bang

Digvijay Singh is alive and fussing over LK Advani?s attempt to politicize the Telengana issue. This was confirmed by his late night press release on Monday which took scribes by complete surprise. Diggy had gone on a holiday immediately after reports reached the high command that his presence in Assam, where he was AICC gen-sec in charge, would harm the party?s electoral prospects. Why the sudden reappearance then? That is because he is in charge of Andhra as well, and Advani?s meeting with the TRS chief and the subsequent upheaval in Diggy?s absence, must have upset the holiday mood. Digvijay was there to make sure that Andhra, too, did not slip out of his hands.

Telling a tale

One wishes Congressmen laboured more for the country and less in trying to prove their credentials to partymen. Sometimes the habit seems to get the better of them, as Janardhan Dwivedi?s invitation for his daughter?s wedding illustrated. Apart from displaying the best of his Hindi vocabulary, Dwivedi?s tear-jerker talked of the father?s pangs of seeing his bitiya grow up and move on to the most crucial period of her life. Need a tissue?

Hand in hand

In Raipur, Mahendra Karma?s Congress colleagues jokingly refer to him as the ?16th minister? in Raman Singh?s 15-member cabinet. Karma is the leader of the Chattisgarh?s opposition and got his title when he launched an ambitious drive against Naxalites. His aim was to wean away tribals from Naxal influence. Singh wholeheartedly backed the programme, and provided Karma money and buses to ferry tribals. The Naxalites retaliated by blowing up truckloads of tribals. The programme lies buried, but the proximity between the leaders apparently continues.

Flying start

There are many uses of the helicopter, and the least important of them is the speed at which it can reach an electoral candidate to campaign meetings. You can have didi attest to that. When Mamata Banerjee and Arun Jaitley reached a subdivisional town close to Calcutta recently to speak for a joint candidate, the man had already left, together with the crowd, after waiting endlessly for their arrival. It was then that Jaitley hit upon a bright idea. The chopper began to fly in low circles over the ground where the meeting was to be held. Within minutes, almost the entire town, curious about the goings on, assembled at the spot. Smart thinking!

Race to the finish

India looks all set to get its first woman cabinet secretary after the present incumbent, BK Chaturvedi, retires from the post in June. Reva Nayar, secretary, women and child development, and the seniormost of the ?68 batch, is reputed to be miles ahead of her nearest competitor to the post, finance secretary Adarsh Kishore, for her clean image. There are other names doing the rounds as well ? Shekhar Dutt, Pratush Sinha and VK Duggal. The last was once said to be a frontrunner given his political connections. But Duggal seems to have lost ground because of an earlier extension. At that time, it was decided that those getting a two-year extension would not be eligible for another appointment. Nayar then?

Of good tidings and bad

One undying breed in Indian politics is that of the home-grown astrologers. There is no politician of any stripe and stature who does not need them once in a while, particularly when the chips are down. Which is why you have Delhi-based astrologer Madan Dass Madan giving his heart out to the BJP. He predicts that there could be a major directional shift in national politics from May 27, hinting that parliament might be dissolved. Elsewhere, he has promised better times for P Chidambaram. There is also Rajnath Singh?s astrologer, Sudhanshu Trivedi, predicting good times for him after September 15. Another relevant tale doing the rounds is about Pramod Mahajan, who is supposed to have been warned about a murderous assault by a soothsayer several months ago. Following the warning, Mahajan had apparently worn a bullet-proof vest during the party?s electoral campaign in Assam. Of course, he hadn?t thought of keeping it on at home.