New Delhi, July 7 (IANS) Political crises can also inspire poetry. Ask Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh, who used the words of an old Hindi film song to describe his meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi. “Na tum bewafa the, na hum bewafa the, magar kya kare hamari kismat juda thi. (Neither were you unfaithful, nor were we. But what can we do, it was just our fate that we parted),” Amar Singh said when asked about his “interaction” with Gandhi last week.

The assembled crowd praised him after the flowery poetry, and Amar Singh smiled widely. He was unstoppable after that as he churned out one verse after another.

He said the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson had met him with “lot of warmth”. But he refused to let reporters know whether she offered him tea.

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Media chase

Being a close friend of the Bachchans, Amar Singh obviously knows how to deal with the paparazzi. The much sought after politician, he has also learned to take journalists for a wild ride around the city.

When Amar Singh returned from his visit to the US last week, he went straight to meet External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee. The next day, he found a posse of journalists camping at his 27 Lodi Estate house. He wanted to step out only to find the electronic media giving him the chase.

The wily politician took at least eight circles around India Gate to make the media give up. But it was not so easy and he finally called it quits, landing up at party colleague and Bollywood actress Jaya Prada’s residence.

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Nuclear deal costs Chatterjee, RSP

The prolonged crisis over the India-US nuclear deal is going to cost Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and Revolutionary Socialist Party general secretary T.J. Chadrachoodan.

While Chatterjee is likely to lose his speaker’s post, Chandrachoodan and his party are facing a heavy monetary loss.

Chandrachoodan, a Kerala-based party veteran, had to fly to the national capital to attend all the nine meetings of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)-Left nuclear committee. Party insiders say the RSP has spent more than Rs.200,000 on his flight tickets. As the 15-member committee is not a government panel, the money is not expected to be reimbursed.