Princess trouble

Across the line

It’s difficult to say which country is more troubled by Shyam Bhatia’s Goodbye Shahzadi — Pakistan or India. The un-hagiographic book on Benazir Bhutto has made those west of the Wagah border see red, while the eastern side has gone quite red in the face. But LK Advani had no reason to feel so regretful. He had merely peeled the glitzy wrapper off a copy of the book as the ‘dignitaries’ — including diplomats, politicians and other men and women of importance — clapped on. Surely that doesn’t mean he endorsed the contents of the book (provided he had read it in the first place)? But we know why Advaniji is feeling the way he is, and it has got nothing to do with his age. A couple of days before the scheduled release of the book, he had sent word expressing his inability to attend the function on account of an important party meeting. The last-minute cancellation had brought the author rushing to the BJP leader, pleading that the invitation cards had been sent out. The man of integrity that he is, Advani could not but relent. Perhaps he wishes now that he hadn’t. Would it make him happy to know that he is, in however small a way, responsible for the book’s brisk sales?

It’s raining couplets

Given the utterly prosaic nature of her administrative duties, Vasundhara Raje can certainly be excused, even admired, for letting her love of poetry show. This is not to say that you will find the chiffon-clad CM busy penning odes in Jaipur. But she does appreciate the odd couplet, or a lovely turn of phrase, especially when these come in the middle of tedious official meetings. Ever since this became known, Rajasthan’s babus are said to be turning more often to Ghalib and Bashir Badr than to the state’s development statistics. Some even send her shers as text messages. And then it is time to start waiting for the little “thank you” that the discerning lady sends only to those whose offering meets her literary taste.

Foreign favourite

It’s called the law of conservation of favours. If someone falls out of favour with 10 Janpath, then someone else will slide into that slot sooner than you can imagine. As Karan Singh has done. No sooner did Natwar Singh make an exit than Karan Singh took his place as Sonia Gandhi’s closest adviser on foreign policy affairs. All this means that Kashmir-born Karan Singh now gets at least two hours with Madam every time a foreign delegation or dignitary comes calling. First, he gives the Congress president the low-down on the man, woman or group. Then, when the guests arrive, Karan Singh is required to be present during the interaction. And finally, after the delegation has exchanged views over snacks and left, our man sits down again with Madam to discuss the importance of the last hour. This is exactly how things went when the African National Congress delegation led by Jacob Guzuma called on Sonia Gandhi at her residence recently.

Homeward bound?

Guess who’s itching to come home? It’s Uma Bharti, and the itch is growing more and more difficult to handle as the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections are drawing near. Some birds flying home told us that the sadhvi has written a letter to her one-time mentor, LK Advani. Of course, we know that the man also happens to be the PM-in-waiting. But Uma Bharti is above any material interests. She was only writing to Advani to express her gratitude to the man who had lobbied so hard for the women’s reservation bill. Incidentally, she also feels that Advani alone can take the bill to its logical end. Now, is it her fault if you think she’s trying to melt the lauha purush?

The sangh guide to the world

Quiz question: Connect Jawaharlal Nehru to Nepal. Nehru loved Nepalese food? Wrong. Nehru got the idea of his headgear from Nepal’s royal family? Wrong. The correct answer is RSS. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh feels that Nehru is to blame for the loss of Nepal as a “Hindu rashtra”. RSS chief KS Sudarshan has said recently that India’s first prime minister had rejected the Nepalese monarchy’s proposal to merge with India along with the other princely states soon after Independence. Had Nehru acted “wisely”, India today would not be troubled by Maoists in the neighbourhood. While on the sarsanghchalak, allow us to tell you that Sudarshan also feels that the slaughter of cows is the reason why farmers are committing suicide in different parts of India. Incredulous? Here’s the explanation: more cows mean more cowdung, which means more organic and natural farming, translating finally into smiling farmers rather than hanging farmers. Alas, nobody pays any attention to native wisdom these days.

Footnote
Old order hardly changeth

Austerity who? Hardly anybody. The mindset bred on years of enjoying freebies and luxuries changes not so easily. So ministers can still be spotted in expensive beauty salons of the capital. Their excuse: they were only getting pampered at their ‘neighbourhood’ shops and paying for it too, so what if it happened to be during working hours. The home minister recently had to order the withdrawal of cars that one of his juniors had requisitioned from various organizations under the ministry. But all is not lost yet, for there are notable exceptions. Such as Murli Deora. The minister who imposed the fuel price hike on the nation seems to understand where it pinches. While he travels by his official Ambassador on ministerial work, for everything else, he relies on his own car. Normally, he spends his weekends in his native city of Mumbai. But even if he happens to be in the capital, he still insists on using his private transport to travel to official engagements. Follow him, anyone?