Warm farewell
It was a warm farewell by journalists for Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin on last Wednesday. Though Akbaruddin travelled with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the three-nation tour to France, Germany and Canada and held media briefings there besides posting updates of PM visit and Yemen evacuation related news, on Wednesday he addressed his last press conference on the Indian soil. On his return, Akbaruddin will be the chief co-ordinator for the Indo-Africa Summit on his promotion as an Additional Secretary and will be replaced by joint secretary Vikas Swaroop. Assuming it was possibly his last interaction in Delhi, the briefing room at Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan was packed to its capacity and Akbaruddin was swarmed by journos the moment he finished the Press conference. Seeing his best man as the Rshero of day’, a smiling Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar happily sneaked out of the room leaving the ‘floor open’ for Akbaruddin. (PS: Akbaruddin’s one of the pet words: Floor is open for questions.)
Rahul’s Ghar Wapsi !
With Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi likely to make a “Ghar Wapsi” later this week after a long sabbatical; tongues have started wagging about his next move. Talks are doing the rounds that some close confidants of late PM Rajiv Gandhi may be accommodated in the think tanks of Team Rahul. The names being discussed are V George, TK Madhvan, TKA Nair and Pullock Chatterji- all close associates of Gandhi family and believed to be sidelined by sycophants of Sonia Gandhi. According to the AICC, Rahul is likely to stage a comeback on the Kisan Rally podium scheduled for Sunday at Ram lila Maidan.
FCRA on action
After cracking the whip on the Greepeace, the Home Ministry’s FCRA division is now probing other major NGOs which received funds from foreign organisations like Ford Foundation and Avaaz. Grapevine has it that notices have already been served to some prominent NGOs on the basis of Intelligence Bureau’s findings. Home Ministry officials say some NGOs have furnished ridiculous excuses to escape a though audit. A young politician who heads a Delhi-based NGO told the ministry that he lost all accounts books while he shifting his house. Some NGOs also replied that their accounts books were gutted due to electrical short circuit.
Missing ‘demolition man’
Exasperated at the local authorities’ failure to prevent defacement and encroachments of historical monuments across the country, many senior officials in the ASI say that they ‘badly miss’ the dynamism of the then Union Culture Minister Jagmohan, who was better known as the ‘demolition man’. The officials lament that the same ‘passion’ to protect the heritage monuments is missing in his successors. They are now hoping to sensitise Union Culture and Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma about the style of the ‘demolition man’ who helped saved many monuments from being ravaged.
luring the journos
In their bid to seek presence of a large number of journos at their events, the paramilitary forces have now resorted to claim that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will attend their respective functions, but only MoS of the ministry are present on the occasions. At the ceremony to induct two Mi 17 V5 choppers in the Air Wing of BSF last week, the paramilitary officials sent an invite claiming the presence of Singh, but the scribes were handed over printed booklets at the venue with the name of MoS Kiren Rijiju printed on it. Earlier, the SSB made a similar claim during its Raising day celebration, but only MoS Haribhai Chaudhary turned in for the event.
Fool’s day
CBI Director Anil Sinha recently issued a circular saying the CBI Day from 2015 onwards will be celebrated on the first working day excluding April 1. The CBI Day falls on April 1, which is also celebrated worldwide as Fool’s Day. The agency apparently wants to lend the seriousness to the CBI Day occasion that it deserves.