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| Polscape |
Magazine | 19 Jun, 2006 |
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 Why don't you eat these pakoras and not ask me such questions?
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—President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam at a tea party to a TV journalist who asked him what
would happen when the Office of Profit bill was sent back to him
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Rahul Who? Oh, Hamara Bajaj
Automobile corporate doyen Rahul Bajaj has become a cementing factor for a strange political alliance in Maharashtra. Bajaj will get votes from the NCP, BJP and the Shiv Sena for his election to the Rajya Sabha seat, vacated after Pramod Mahajan's death. NCP chief Sharad Pawar had already declared that he would support one Rahul or the other. The Congress interpreted it as Rahul Mahajan. But now the Pawar camp says he had not specified which Rahul. So Mr Bajaj it was and the Congress is crying foul.
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Reigniting The Old Flame
On his 83rd birthday, Tamil Nadu CM M. Karunanidhi ensured that Kannagi's statue was back at the Marina Beach. In December 2001, then CM J. Jayalalitha cited bad vaastu and got it removed. Karunanidhi was heart-broken. In Tamil literature, Kannagi, the heroine of the Sangam-era epic Silappadikaram, is known as the icon of chastity. While Karunanidhi would have us believe that with the statue, Tamil self-respect has been restored, he's got another quite romantic reason. The model for the statue was Kalpana, a 1960s actress-socialite, whom Karunanidhi fancied. In 1968, the C.N. Annadurai government installed 40 statues, of which Karunanidhi inaugurated only Kannagi's. But it is more the model (Kalpana) than the symbol (Kannagi) that gave Karunanidhi solace.
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Saving Grace
Mayawati's weakness for pomp and glamour is well-known. Her birthday bashes are known for their display of wealth where she flouts her diamonds. BSP rallies are also mega affairs. But suddenly Mayawati is on an austerity drive. Her message to the party: save money for next year's assembly polls in UP. Following this, a rally to be held on June 30 has been called off. Come polls and money, she knows, keeps the political wheel turning.
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The Thakur In The Mudpit
Water, they say, finds its own level. The great Thakur president of the BJP, Rajnath Singh, recently summoned the pehelwans of Delhi at a time when trouble is brewing for the party. The Delhi Kushti Mahasangh president with the heroic name of Babu Pehelwan felicitated Rajnath last week. Various gurus, ustads and khalifas lined up to tie a turban on Rajnath and gift him with a "gurj", a weapon carried by wrestlers. Presumably, Rajnath can use it to swat all opponents, whose numbers are rising by the day. The entire event led to considerable embarrassment for the BJP. Many wondered why Rajnath wanted to produce wrestlers at this time in the party's history. One party functionary quipped: "Maybe Rajnathji should tell the Pahalwans to instruct partymen on how to tie their dhotis and loin cloths tightly. In our party, dhotis are being tied somewhat loosely." The other remark was: "Thakur hain/pehelwan to hone chahiye (he is a Thakur/he should have his toughies)." The entire event was organised to honour heroes of games like kushti (wrestling), kabbadi and boxing. That's just what the BJP needs in these days—a crash course in wrestling.
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Rants and Raves
(feedback to this story)
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