Punjabi, Export Quality

Dhalla denies all allegations and accuses the nannies of exploiting her fame for money. Legal writs are flying about like shoes at an Indian political campaign press conference. It’s all a bit of a shame really, for Dhalla’s life story is inspirational. At 10, she came to Indira Gandhi’s attention when she wrote an eloquent letter expressing anguish at Operation Blue Star. The late former PM read it aloud at a press conference. Dhalla earned a series of postgraduate degrees and opened a chain of chiropractic clinics. Elected to parliament in 2004, she’s one of the two Sikh women in a house full of boring men. Politics is a fickle business, and Dhalla may yet ride out this storm. But it’s hard to escape the feeling that she happens to be accident-prone, a political liability that even her undeniable telegenic glamour and lively mind cannot overcome.