Up in the air
Most of the major events in minister of state for heavy industries Babul Supriyo’s life have happened when he has been up in the air. For instance, the playback singer, actor and politician was on a flight when he was persuaded to give up his job at Standard Chartered Bank by a famous musician who said he should earn his living instead by singing. Supriyo ended up as one of the best-known playback singers in Hindi cinema. It was again when he was on a flight that Baba Ramdev suggested to him that he take up politics. He joined politics in 2014 and was voted to Parliament from West Bengal, one of only two BJP MPs from the state. A year ago, Supriyo was on a flight to Delhi when cupid struck. He was attracted to the airhostess on the flight, Rachna Sharma. The two got married last week.
Onus on Shah
Till the eleventh hour, former Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel was led to believe that her choice of Nitin Patel as her successor would prevail. PMO sources even confirmed his name to a few journalists just four hours before Vijay Rupani was formally declared CM. Patel gave interviews assuming he was to be chief minister. However, behind the scenes, BJP president Amit Shah insisted on Rupani. Finally, BJP general secretary V Satish, calling from a generator room of the BJP headquarters near Gandhinagar, to keep out of sight of the prying eyes of mediapersons, telephoned Narendra Modi for clarity. The PM claimed neutrality and said the party parliamentary board and state MLAs should decide. The parliamentary board had already given the mandate to Shah to select the candidate, and all non-Patel state MLAs opted for Rupani over a Patel candidate. By washing his hands off the decision, Modi has put the onus for whatever happens in Gujarat on Shah, who will have to ensure a victory in the 2017 polls, though the party is on shaky ground at the moment. A furious Anandiben feels that Modi caved in to pressure from Shah.
Incidentally, Najma Heptulla became a victim in the move to persuade Anandiben to resign quietly. Heptulla was initially allowed to continue as minister for minority affairs after the recent Cabinet reshuffle (she crossed 75 last year, the undeclared age bar for ministers put by Modi). But when Anandiben raised the question of precedent for retiring from public office at 75 years of age, Heptulla was hastily told to submit her resignation.
Souvenir sales
Since the advent of President Pranab Mukherjee, staid, traditional Rashtrapati Bhavan has become more contemporary and commercialised. Edwin Lutyens’ ageing palace has had an impressive makeover and now there are regular tours for the public of its interiors. On Facebook, Rashtrapati Bhavan has started advertising souvenirs, including cards, notebooks, jaalis, paperweights, table clocks, fridge magnets, pocket watches, key chains, mugs, bracelets and diary planners. The attractive souvenirs display designs from the ceilings and carpets of Rashtrapati Bhavan, for which the copyright is with the President’s Secretariat. This year’s At Home hosted by the President will not be on the lawns of the Mughal Gardens or in the Darbar Hall, but in a multi-purpose air-conditioned convention hall built on the estate, which can host up to 3,000 people.
Image makeover
Textile minister Smriti Irani’s aide has been making enquiries about finding a good public relations person. Irani realises she needs an image makeover. It is noticeable that she has mellowed towards the media and is less confrontational. Her tweets are also restricted to her ministry and retweeting the PM’s tweets, rather than taking on journalists and others with whose opinion she disagrees. Recently, a photograph of Irani standing without security waiting humbly in a queue to be served at a Starbucks café was carried in a number of publications.
Missing media
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was displeased to note that while his rally at Chandrashekhar Azad’s birthplace Bhabra village in Madhya Pradesh, to pay tribute to the freedom fighter, was well attended, there were many vacant seats in the front rows meant for the media. There is a blame game on in Madhya Pradesh as to who was responsible for the goof-up. The state government had made arrangements to transport journalists from Bhopal to Bhabra by bus and for overnight stay at Indore. At Indore, there were lavish arrangements, including a sumptuous buffet breakfast. The result was that the journalists started late in the morning, got delayed further due to waterlogging on the way, and reached after the event was over.
