| Published on 09-01-2008 In National |
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| Corridor Whispers - Jan 09 Part - 1 |
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Written by
Insider |
Worried Congressmen
Congressmen were hugely concerned while Sonia Gandhi took long to come home from New Delhi's Ganga Ram hospital. The daily health bulletins had "all is well" tag but anxious party men were not entirely convinced.
Almost in whispers there was a near unanimity that the leader's illness had bit to do with Gujarat. It is not that Sonia was hugely upset with Gujarat defeat that aggravated her asthma but the focus on "maut ke saudagar" reference as a prime cause of Congress defeat. These leaders feel Sonia may have got upset with the insinuation that it was her remark that made Narendra Modi a victor.
True to the loyalty culture of the party, a number of senior party leaders including treasurer Motilal Vora and Arjun Singh reported sick.
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Upbeat Mood in BJP
The mood in the BJP camp, meanwhile, is upbeat. The principal opposition party has now begun poll preparations for Karnataka, Rajasthan, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh assembly polls. In each state, it is confronted with the leadership issue. Atal Bihari Vajpayee's speechwriter Sudheendra Kulkarni has emerged as "prime minister in waiting" L.K. Advani's key lieutenant. Kulkarni has prepared neat report cards of all the states including the BJP-ruled states. Based on
Kulkarni report, indications are that in Rajasthan, the BJP will project chief minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia as it mascot. For Delhi, it has zeroed in on Dr Harshvardhan. But L.K. Advani seems to be in a dilemma over Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan and his Chattisgarh counterpart Dr. Raman Singh. Kulkarni's feedback is if they are projected as future chief ministers, the BJP could suffer reversals. The prospects of running down its own chief ministers or changing them with less than a year to go is something that still needs to be
thrashed out.
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Foot-in-the-mouth Moily
AICC media cell chairman Veerappa Moily has developed a serious "foot-in-the-mouth disease." The former Karnataka chief minister created a flutter when he "congratulated" Narendra Modi from the AICC podium in 24, Akbar Road. Senior leaders wondered why Moily had to do this from the party forum when Sonia Gandhi avoided sending even a congratulatory note to the Gujarat chief minister. The prime minister, on the other hand had to congratulate Modi in keeping with propriety and parliamentary customs.
Moily did not stop at complimenting Modi. He tried to define Hindutva and in the process ended up praising former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee before a media at the party's regular press briefing. Buzz in the Congress is that the way Moily is functioning, he will soon join the league of Janaradhan Dwivedi and Ambika Soni who were Moily's predecessors.
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In-efficiently successful Soz
Prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh may never be short of showcasing his UPA government's sense of efficiency and achievements, but he must look at his "good friend" Saifuddin Soz's water resource ministry to know the true state of affairs. At the beginning of 2007, Soz's ministry had thought of releasing a postal stamp on water conservation with a view of creating awareness among the masses. The inter-ministerial "cooperation" resulted in the stamp getting released on December 28, three days before end of 2007. This is not it. Some ministries enviously view it as a "success." |
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