Home truth

Civil aviation minister Madhavrao Scindia paid a surprise visit to Delhi’s T3 airport terminal this week to discover ways in which the prevailing chaos and overcrowding at India’s terminals during peak season could be eased. But two major obstacles cannot be surmounted. The airport owners are unwilling to bear the expense of constructing more counters for X-raying baggage, since that would amount to expanding the airport. And nobody wants to mention the real elephant in the room. Entry points and immigration desks are the responsibility of the Home Ministry and slow, middle-aged, and sometimes surly government employees do not have the right PR temperament or quickness for such duties. Anyone who has waited impatiently in the queue at an airport entrance is aware that the Central Industrial Security Force jawans take their own sweet time while haltingly reading the names on the IDs and tickets of passengers before letting them pass.

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Priyanka’s team

Priyanka Vadra is credited for the Congress‘ victory in Himachal Pradesh, as Rahul stayed away from the state and she remained in HP throughout the campaign. Even if the number of rallies she addressed was limited, Vadra is certainly responsible for smoothly installing a Congress government in the state. She is gradually building her own team whose members include Bhupesh Baghel, who was in charge of the party’s HP social media campaign; Rajiv Shukla; Bhupendra Hooda; and Sachin Pilot, who campaigned extensively in HP whereas his rival Ashok Gehlot focused on Gujarat. Incidentally, one possible reason why Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was chosen chief minister over two other claimants is that he has an old connection with the Vadras, having assisted them with the necessary formalities for constructing their summer retreat at Mashobra near Shimla. The Himachal story, however, may not be quite over yet. A Deep Throat informs that some in the Congress have already made overtures to the BJP for switching sides, but Modi does not want to bite the bait just yet. The PM felt that a messy toppling exercise at the present juncture would only detract from his magnificent Gujarat victory.

Undermining Gandhis’ credit

Virbhadra Singh’s widow Pratibha Singh did herself no favour by remarking after the Congress victory in Himachal Pradesh that the party’s triumph was due to the “Shrandhanjali’’ (sacrifice) of her late husband, the six-time chief minister of the state. The statement was relayed back to Priyanka Vadra who shrewdly sensed a potential rebellion in case things did not go the way Holly Lodge, the Shimla residence of Virbhadra’s royal ancestors, wanted. All Congress MLAs were instructed not to attend meetings called by any chief ministerial aspirant. Understandably, Pratibha’s attempt to arrange a get-together for winning Congress legislators was poorly attended with many MLAs proffering weak excuses for staying away.

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Gossipy question

Since this column has sometimes been dubbed dismissively as gossip, it is worth analysing what exactly “gossip’’ connotes. While some label it as unfounded rumours and keyhole journalism, I prefer to perceive “news gossip’’ as the first whiff of what later emerges as breaking news. Indian political gossip columns gained currency after Indira Gandhi’s Emergency rule was lifted and a heart-warming laissez faire attitude prevailed. Over the years, gossip columns per force had to evolve to keep in tune with the changing times. While the format of this column may fluctuate and be more freewheeling in the coming year, hopefully the basic content will remain as before.