New Rajya Sabha loPIJ
Until the leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad made his maiden appearance in the ensuing Winter Session, Deputy leader of Congress in the Upper House Anand Sharma was leading the show. For his daily “disruptions” of the House, he earned laurels from several Opposition members and also his party high command. last week, even Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien was taken aback when AIADMK leader V Maithryean wanted to know from the Chair whether there has been a change of ‘loP’. A bemused Kurien said he will check the records and get back. later, senior Congress leaders clarified that Azad was keeping busy with the Jammu & Kashmir elections and some personal reasons. However, Azad was back with a bang and was praised for his handling of the proposed debate on conversion issue.
Back to words
In the hurly burly of politics, Congress MP from Kerala Shashi Tharoor has not lost his passion for writing. Asked whether his creative juices are still on, he said his second book will be in the market soon. Would he weave a plot around politics and its charactersIJ “Yes, I have that in mind, but that would be at a later stage,” he said.
Party time at RAW
Saturday was a real party time for RAW sleuths. The reason for the party was simple. After so many decades RAW got a chief from their own cadre, RAS. For a long time this coveted post was grabbed by IPS officers. In a post hotel here, the RAS cadre officers celebrated the elevation of Rajinder Khanna as their Chief of the organisation.
Sushma’s mantra
Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper — External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is strictly going by this old saying these days. Swaraj has lost nearly seven kilograms in last four months due to change in her eating habits. The Minister has consciously cut down on her calories and eats a very light dinner, which is either fruits or boiled stuff to help her shed the flab. The Minister, however, eats proper meals through the day. No wonder she was seen enjoying Makka ki roti and sarso saag, jalebi, and papri chaat during a lunch hosted by her. After all she was going to pay for the indulgence by the dinner time.
Tobacco lobby
Change in guard at the Union Health Ministry from Harsh Vardhan to JP Nadda has been lapped by the strong tobacco lobby. For, what Harsh Vardhan had proposed is being slowly disposed off by the Health Ministry now. While Harsh Vardhan favoured ban on loose cigarettes, the decision has now been put on hold under protest from the Andhra Pradesh tobacco lobby. Sources say that proposed ban on e-cigarettes might also not see the light of the day!
Media shy
The Supreme Court-constituted Special Investigation Team on black money has directed its members not to interact with the media and the proceedings of the SIT should be kept strictly confidential. Press briefing, if required, should only be through the department of Revenue. “No other method of media interaction was desirable. All members (of SIT) are requested to adhere to this protocol,” noted the first SIT report submitted to the apex court.