Funds & fortunes
The dwindling coffers of the Grand Old Party are not getting replenished the way they used to. So maintaining a large party headquarters and the burgeoning electoral expenditure are proving to be a stretch. A worried Sonia Gandhi shared her anxiety with a prominent media house stake-holder as well as a Left leader. And, Ghulam Nabi Azad told the Rajya Sabha that ‘the corporate houses are afraid of donating to the Congress party or call its leaders’.
Apparently, the same fund crunch is forcing the GOP to hold the plenary session in Delhi, not Mohali. In Delhi, accommodation at the state guest houses can be cheap, plus the session can be wrapped up in a day. Nonetheless, 24 Akbar Road has had a fresh coat of paint, got a new conference room, et al. The AICC has got a few stinging messages from the Urban Development Ministry to vacate the Akbar Road bungalow ASAP, but with the fortunes drying up the new party office is taking time to come up. The BJP’s swanky new headquarters at DDU Marg, meanwhile, is ready.
Old and new steer
The Rahul Gandhi-appointed ‘Steering Committee’ of the INC has a rather interesting mix. Not because it’s dominated by the veterans of the Sonia era, but because of those who have been accommodated. Digvijaya Singh has found a place in it, so has the much vilified Mohan Prakash. Among the younger lot, RPN Singh and K C Venugopal are the prominent inclusions.
Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot, however, have been kept out, while their inner-party rivals, Kamal Nath and Ashok Gehlot, have made their way into the committee. Also two young Assam MPs, seen to be close aides of RG, Sushmita Dev and Tarun Gogoi, too are not there. The Steering Committee will oversee the plenary session and the selection/election of the new Congress Working Committee members.
Bhawan invaded
The Rashtrapati Bhawan guest-wing and the kitchen set-up have been invaded by mongoose, lizards, bandicoots, monkeys and other lesser species. They have not only been making life miserable for the ground staff, but also led to a few complaints from guests. Well, the concerned officials of the Rashtrapati Bhawan have since got a proper room-wise inventory made. But attempts at a headcount of the lesser beings failed, an animal tamer—a modern day Pied Piper of sorts—was called in. The affected zone of the Bhawan is undergoing a spring cleaning, to make it more fit for human habitation!
Rashtrapati happy!
President Ram Nath Kovind, however, is a happy man. What with the presidential salary hike announced in the recent budget. He’s said to have congratulated Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan, the original man behind the move. The hike which comes with retrospective effect, April 2016, will not only benefit President Kovind but his predecessor Pranab Mukherjee as well. In fact, for Mukherjee is a double bumper, arrears and enhanced pension.
uncanny resemblance
Ravi Subramanian came out with a thriller about a year ago, on a banking fraudster. Believe it or not, the main character of the book is a powerful jeweller, Nirav Choksi. The plot’s closeness to the current PNB-Gem scam is breathtaking, apart from the real-life characters carrying the names, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi. A former banker, Subramanian’s earlier fictions too have uncanny resemblance to real life crime.
Treat for Mukherjee
Sharmistha Mukherjee, Delhi Mahila Congress chief and former President’s daughter, was one of the guests at Ghulam Nabi Azad’s recent Kashmiri luncheon, followed by special kawa. As Azad showed off his self-tended garden in full bloom, Sharmistha had a quiet request to make. The former President was missing the Kashmiri gustaba, and would have liked to come. Like a good host, Azad readily agreed to send some over to Mukherjee’s retirement pad, even as he recounted stories about he used to organise Mukherjee’s favourite Kashmiri fare at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Santwana Bhattacharya
The author is Political Editor, TNIE.
Email: santwana@newindianexpress.com