THE jamboree at Rashtrapati Bhavan last week when political parties were trying to settle on an alternative government had a curious sidelight. Usually, in the highly security- conscious capital city and particularly in the area around North Block and South Block, its hard for journalists to move around freely if they dont have the proper accreditation papers. Its rare to be stopped, but not so rare that scribes arent careful.
A significant and honourable exception to this rule has been Rashtrapati Bhavan. As the crisis grew more and more tangled, the Presidential abode became the
adda for waiting journalists there was always a great bite or quote to be had from the plethora of politicians meeting the President.
But as the days went by, the crowd that assembled there began to include not just journalists but chauffeurs, hangers- on and lackeys.
Ultimately, the situation got so out of hand that genuine journalists were finding it hard to make their presence felt. One TV journalist found himself jostling alongside his chauffeur as he put a question to Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Thats when the whip was cracked as it was decreed that only those with Press Information Bureau ( PIB ) cre- dentials would be allowed in. The security was beefed up and regardless of their standing, everyone was frisked. It was a return to the normal world of Delhi that restored some sanity to the proceedings.
