Shock wave
With little clarity on Narendra Modi’s Cabinet list, the aspirants are trying figure out ‘the mind’ of the Prime Minister-designate. Those who have known Modi for long in Gujarat are very sought after to ferret out ‘some clue’ to the Prime Minster-designate’s likes and dislikes. All are ready for ‘some surprises’ but are worried that there could be ‘surprises too many’. After giving shock to his political opponents in the lok Sabha polls, is the man of the moment readying to release ‘shock waves’ withinIJ
Teetotaler bosses
Contrary to perception that infantry soldiers have weakness for ‘drink’, the Indian Army has got three successive teetotalers and vegetarian chiefs. The incoming Chief lt General Dalbir Singh Suhag, incumbent General Bikram Singh and his predecessor VK Singh defy the image of hard drinking soldiers. In another interesting co-incidence, all three headed the Kolkatta-based Eastern Command before selected for the top job.
Fear of being kicked down
Chiefs of a number of paramilitary forces are apprehensive that they might be relegated to head relatively insignificant Central Police Organisations (CPOs) after a regime change at the Centre post elections. This was the topic of discussion last week at the Civil Services Officers Institute (a club of the bureaucrats) in the lutyen’s Zone where many of these officials gathered for an informal party. It is a different matter that the paramilitary forces played key role in successful conduct of just-concluded Parliamentary polls.
Congress’ Chintan Shivir
With the Congress Working Committee (CWC) witnessed bitter blame game over the Congress debacle in the lok Sabha polls, grapevine has it that the party is contemplating to gold a ‘Chintan Shivir’ at the earliest to settle the dust. The Congress leadership feels that such an exercise is necessary to unite the party, which is plagued with dissension and Team Rahul is coming under fire from all and sundry. However, with the grip of 10 Janpath slackening over the party following its rout, the Chintan Shivir can see more firework than it’s expected to douse.
RSP — the krantikari party
The Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) has become a real ‘krantikari party’ by taking a bizarre decision two days ago. The party, which has been for years a part of the left bloc, got only one MP nationwide and that too by aligning with the Congress in Kerala. The Central Secretariat of the RSP has taken a curious decision that while the party would support the ‘great left ideals’, in Parliament its lone MP would back both UPA and left bloc on issues related to West Bengal. A CPI(M) leader in Delhi quipped, “Ye bahut bada krantikari resolution hai.”
Urgent step
The new Health Minister may have to urgently take up steps to resolve the open fight between the Ministry and Medical Council of India (MCI). In an unprecedented move, the MCI has not only decided to review all the orders issued by the Health Ministry but also those taken during the tenure of the Board of Governors (BOGs), which was appointed by the Government in 2010.
Blame game
The National Highways Authority of India and the Planning Commission are at loggerheads yet again, with the former pinning all blames for slowdown of the road sector on the latter. Grapevine has it that NHAI chairman RP Singh, in a letter to Minitry of Road Transport and Highway secretary Vijay Chhibber, has asked the Government to probe and review the role of the Planning Commission. Singh has also asked the Ministry to play a more proactive role in solving disputes in the road sector, to tame the interference from the Planning Commission.