Happening dos
When Assam’s noted film producer Jahnu Baruah requested chief minister Tarun Gogoi to grace the book launch in Guwahati of The Best Thing About You, written by actor Anupam Kher, Mr Gogoi could not say no despite the fact that Mr Kher’s support to Team Anna is well known.
Releasing the book, Mr Gogoi also applauded the contribution of Anupam Kher but maintained a
safe distance from his proactive role in the anti-corruption movement of Anna Hazare.
Soon after the book release, Mr Gogoi was invited by Mr Kher to see his autobiographical play, a monologue, Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai, in the evening. Quite oblivious of the content of the play, Mr Gogoi came to see it but left the auditorium soon after the interval.
Mr Gogoi left even after Mr Kher’s special request to stay on till the end of the play —obviously to endorse the content of the play.
One does not know the reason for the chief minister leaving the auditorium in the middle of the monologue but audiences felt that more focus on Mr Gogoi’s red-carpet welcome to a supporter of Team Anna may politically boomerang on him.
Kuchh bhi ho sakta hai. Indeed, anything can happen.

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Reshuffle kerfuffle
Rattled by the ever-increasing criticism of the health sector, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also the health minister, decided to appoint a minister of state for health who could devote more time to the department. She zeroed in on Sashi Panja, an MLA from Shyampukur in Kolkata. Ms Panja, the daughter-in-law of late Ajit Panja, is a doctor by profession. Ms Banerjee also wanted to induct another loyalist, Arup Biswas, in the council of ministers and clip the wings of two Congress ministers. So on January 15 she decided on a mini-reshuffle of her Cabinet.
A swearing-in ceremony was hurriedly organised at Raj Bhavan. Ms Panja was asked to come to the Raj Bhavan on the afternoon of January 16 to take the oath of office. But she informed the chief minister that she was in Cooch Behar in North Bengal and would be able to reach Kolkata the next day. An impatient Didi could not wait for another day.
Determined to have a minister of state for health, she immediately selected another woman MLA from the city — Chandrima Bhattacharya — for the post. It is another matter that Ms Bhattacharya is a lawyer and not a doctor. “Didi can do anything. She can make a doctor the law minister,” a close aide of Ms Banerjee said tongue-in-cheek.

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Filmy corridors
The corridors of power in Delhi are generally drab and dull. Most have no character. Visit any Government of India ministry, and you will find nothing that will so much as even hint which governance domain you have entered. Here’s come an exception, though.
The corridors of Shastri Bhavan, which houses the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry, are a treat for the eyes, with film posters of a bygone era adorning its walls. The ministry has gone all out to give a snazzy look to the corridors by putting up replicas of original posters from movies like Taj Mahal, Mughal-e-Azam, Guide, CID and Naya Daur. It is understood that I&B minister Ambika Soni, herself a movie buff, played a key role in the makeover the ministry corridors received. Hope other ministers too get inspired to spruce up their dank, dour corridors of power with theme décor that befits the portfolios concerned.

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Put-on smiles
Journalists invited to cover the press conference of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati on her birthday were pleasantly surprised to find smiling faces greeting them and ushering them into the party office.
The security staff was rather polite and Bahujan Samaj Party leaders at the venue made a conscious effort to mingle with the scribes. Even Ms Mayawati seemed to be smiling more than usual and happily responded to requests from shutterbugs. This was naturally a welcome change from earlier days when tightlipped leaders did not dare to go beyond a nod and tight-fisted security men were unrelenting when it came to mobile phones.
Many thought that this signalled a change in the BSP culture but minutes later the facade came crashing down when some scribes got talking to senior BSP minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui. When the scribes told him that it was wrong to shut doors on the media, pat came the reply from Mr Siddiqui, “Maybe we got the majority in the last elections because we shut our doors on the media.”
Scribes immediately realised that some things never change — the brash BSP, for example.

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Ec in slow lane
The Election Commission, which is now the centre of attention for the media owing to the impending polls in five states, has come in for criticism from the fourth estate for its lackadaisical attitude. The grouse against the Election Commission is that SMSes are being sent to all the reporters who cover the poll panel urging them to expect a prospective press release at a particular time, which is not being sent. In the absence of such SMS alerts, the scribes will have to fall back on news agencies for any development regarding the polls. In an era when a scribe can file a flash-story from his/her smart phone even while on the move, the Election Commission thinks of the news industry at the pace of the ticker.

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Neighbour’s envy
Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s frequent visits to Rajasthan have raised many eyebrows not only in the ruling Congress, but also in the Opposition BJP. Mr Modi had made three visits in the recent past to the neighbouring state, each time party leaders in Rajasthan vying among themselves to demonstrate their proximity to the BJP’s prime ministerial material.
First he went to Jaipur to deliver a lecture in memory of Deen Dayal Upadhyay, where he also visited a pilgrimage centre to offer prayers. The welcome given by BJP leaders was warm. Mr Modi made his presence felt at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas while addressing the PIOs, who applauded his speech that lashed out at the UPA government.
“BJP leaders of our state are used to being on pravas (outing), as they are not in power in Rajasthan. They have no interest in serving the people here; they spend time outside the state. That’s why such pravasi (people from the neighbouring state) come here and speak,” said a Congress leader, alluding to Mr Modi’s visit.
The Gujarat chief minister again came to Jaipur last week to attend a wedding in a former royal family, this time making even the saffron leaders uneasy. “The problem is not that he steals the show wherever he goes; the problem is that he demonstrates his ability to lead the masses and that annoys even other leaders within the party,” a saffron leader said insightfully. And that took care of the Congress’ people-from-neighbouring-state dig.