Prime time

Before the sting operation against Narendra Modi made news, his residence is supposed to have been an open house for godmen of all hues, most of whom promised the Gujarat CM that the best in his life was yet to come. There is no reason why the Tehelka exposé on the Gujarat riots should suddenly make that prediction appear false. For all one knows, the sting operation could turn out to be one of the best things that have happened to Modi after the riots. There are already indications that the televised disclosures would help consolidate the vote along communal lines in Modi’s favour. If that happens, and Modi is able to retain Gujarat, it would not only make his rise in the party henceforth unstoppable, but also sound the death knell for Rajnath Singh’s career, who is suspected to be the man behind the rift in the parivar in Gujarat. Since AB Vajpayee is virtually out of commission, that would mean a return of the indefatigable LK Advani to the centre stage. But then, Advani is an octogenarian and could, at best, remain in active parliamentary politics for another five-year term. In that case, wouldn’t it be time for the best to happen in Modi’s life?

For whom the bell tolls

Times are not good for the Maharashtra CM, Vilasrao Deshmukh. The Congress high command has already received a lot of complaints against him, and there are full-throated rumours about the Union home minister, Shivraj Patil, being shifted to take over the hotseat. Naturally, Deshmukh is trying his best to chat up Sonia Gandhi’s point man. He is reported to have even made a visit to the capital to explain his position. Other than Patil, there is another candidate in the fray — Sushil Shinde, whose caste status as a Dalit makes him an attractive choice. However, the industry lobby is not too happy with Shinde as power minister. It would be less happy with him as CM.

Points of view

The Chinese are better than the people of UP. They give the young Nehru-Gandhi the attention he deserves. The Chinese establishment is supposedly looking up to Rahul Gandhi as a ‘princeling’ who would eventually assume leadership of the country. The interest in Mom Sonia Gandhi is just as avid. The top communist leadership tried its best to gauge how Madam views India’s emerging relationship with the US and whether she thought India sees itself as a counterweight to China. Aren’t the Chinese expecting too much of a goodwill trip and taking matters too seriously?

Third dimension

It has been some time since Shabnam Mausi brought the third gender to the political limelight. Now the J & K National Panthers Party has expressed its wish to set up a separate front for the third sex. Most political parties have separate cells for the minorities, women and other socially deprived classes, but none for the third-gendered. Sita Kinnar, their leader, while thanking the Panthers, has asked political parties to give Kinnars tickets. But one doubts the experiment will extend beyond Kashmir’s borders.

Driven out

The people happiest with the stalemate in Karnataka are the drivers in the Bangalore secretariat. Almost all of them were working under the BJP and JD(S) ministers and had a punishing round-the-clock schedule throughout the lengthy spell of political uncertainty. They had to ferry ministers at short notices and were forced to forego their weekly leaves and even lunch and dinner breaks. Under governor’s rule, they once again have their regular work schedule. In Delhi the JD(S) leaders are once again trying their best to get Congress help in forming another government. Much to the comfort of the Bangalore drivers, the Congress leadership has not shown much interest.

Cold storage

Not many would recall that Big B had made a lucrative contract with a big realty firm. The announcement was made soon after the firm had bagged a huge plot in Greater Noida for a plush commercial and residential complex. But since then the contract seems to have gone cold. One is yet to see Bachchan selling apartments and shopping malls on the small screen or in the print media. Those in the know believe that things changed dramatically after Mayavati took over as boss in Lucknow. After all, it would be foolish to give her cause to complain by flashing the popular mascot of her arch-rival as brand ambassador of a firm which needs her goodwill to execute its ongoing projects in Noida and elsewhere in UP.

Footnote - Record levels

Come November, India will know if the Kapoors can hold their own against the Khans. But the Kapoors don’t seem to be worrying too much about that. As is their wont, they are pitching higher. At the launch of her book on dad Raj Kapoor, Ritu Nanda said she was giving a serious thought to approaching the authorities of the Guinness Book of World Records over her family’s contribution to cinema. And why not? The Kapoors do have a lot to show for the six decades they have ruled Indian cinema — from the grand old Prithviraj Kapoor to the latest entrant from the family, Ranbir. In between there have been Raj, brothers Shammi and Shashi, Raj’s children Randhir and Rishi, and grandchildren Karishma and Kareina, not to forget the equally famous wives (and girlfriends too). Perhaps the Kapoors’ influence on Indian cinema can be matched only by that of the Nehru-Gandhis’ on politics.