The Bangladesh High Commission’s Hilsa lunch has always been more a celebration of bilateral ties than a culinary gathering. This year, however, the occasion came with a note of farewell, marking High Commissioner Riaz Hamidullah’s departure for Geneva as Bangladesh’s envoy to the UN. His 17-month tenure coincided with an uneasy phase in bilateral ties, but he helped keep people-to-people relations on an even keel and remained one of Delhi’s popular diplomats. His fondness for Hilsa found its way into a book on Hilsa, whose first copy was presented to Lt Governor and former Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Sandhu. Despite low production this year, Bangladesh exported around 1,200 tonnes of Hilsa to India ahead of Durga Puja.
Rs 1 bidders for mementos, beware
The Culture Ministry and the National Informatics Centre (NIC), the government’s technology partner that facilitates and supervises the auction of Prime Minister’s mementos, have another task: identifying and blocking “non-serious” bidders. Sources say some prospective buyers place a bid after depositing just Rs 1, but do not pay the balance after winning. The result is repeated communication with the bidder and delays in completing the transaction and closing the auction for the memento. Another concern is exceptionally high bids for certain articles that are subsequently not pursued. Sources said NIC reviews the bids daily to identify potential “non-serious” bidders, including those who may have placed bids merely “for fun”.
‘Naraz Phufa’ mystery
There is a new guessing game doing the rounds in bureaucratic circles: who, exactly, is the Election Commission of India’s elusive ‘Naraz Phufa’? With Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioner SS Sandhu being batchmates, and Commissioner Vivek Joshi their batch junior, all three names naturally figure in the chatter. Officers, however, are keeping their theories to themselves — or mostly to themselves — as they try to work out who the ‘Naraz Phufa’ might be. The gossip has generated another question: could the alleged discontent eventually lead to the ‘Naraz Phufa’ stepping down, or being asked to do so? For now, there is no clear answer, only whispers, theories and intense speculation.
New voices wanted
Amid growing Opposition criticism, the BJP is reportedly scouting for spokespersons — young, sharp, well-informed, comfortable with data. It is looking beyond the usual political pool to men and women from reputed institutions and professional backgrounds. Communication, an argumentative analytical approach, ability to back counters with facts, figures and evidence are sought. A senior source said BJP has national-level spokespersons but wants more voices across issues. Election Commission is one area, with party pointing to what it describes as Congress’s handling of, and alleged interference with, electoral machinery during years in power. Representation matters: for SC or OBC issues, party wants spokespersons from those communities with facts and figures. Search will cover organisational ranks, young professionals and graduates over coming months.
