New Delhi, Oct 25 (IANS)The heat on Telecom Minister A. Raja for alleged irregularities in his department could ring in an opportunity for his DMK party colleague and parliament member T. R. Baalu.
He is keeping a hawk eye on developments after large-scale corruption was highlighted in the allocation of 2G (second generation) radio spectrum licences, putting the DMK is in a spot of bother as Raja heads the telecom ministry.

Out in the cold after cabinet induction eluded him, insiders in the party say Baalu sees a glimmer of hope that he could be possibly be accommodated should matters take a turn for the worse.

Chemicals and Fertiliser Minister M.K. Alagiri has already made known his displeasure in his tenure and that is why he spends more time in Madurai, his constituency.However, Baalu also realises that his efforts to position himself as a worthy contender may come to naught if strongman M.K. Karunanidhi decides to give a slot to his daughter and Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi.

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World class toilets for Games delegation

Preparations for the 2010 Commonwealth Games are being faulted on many counts, but the world class toilets put up for international delegates of the games federation certainly could not have stoked these doubts.

A night before the departure of the delegates, the tourism department organised a cultural fiesta at the majestic Qutub Minar. Earlier the complex used to house grimy and ill-maintained toilets. But when federation chief Michael Fennell and vice-patron Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, walked into the washrooms, they were floored by the fixtures and squeaky clean floors.

Needless to say, the praise was lavish.

A prominent member of the organising committee believes this show possibly convinced delegates of the 71 member countries that Delhi was indeed capable of hosting the Games.

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73, but full of ‘renewed’ energy

Farooq Abdullah, the minister for new and renewable energy who is also the patron of the National Conference, is known for his spontaneity and has often broken out into song or dance when the occasion has demanded.

The maverick politician from Jammu and Kashmir recently celebrated his 73rd birthday in the capital and was felicitated at a luxury hotel. Among those invited were a host of dignitaries, including former ministers and bureaucrats like Vasant Sathe, M.M. Jacob and former Jammu and Kashmir governor G.C. Saxena.

When asked what the secret of his success was and what kept him going, Abdullah said, “Abhi to main jawan hoon (I am still young), at least at heart.” The line was inspired by a famous Hindi song.

His son and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah vouches for that. “My father is not that old, he is young at heart and younger than you and me!” he said.

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Sachin versus Maya on home turf?

Guess where Congress MP and union minister Sachin Pilot spent his Diwali eve? Not in his Ajmer constituency in Rajasthan as one would imagine, but in an obscure village in Uttar Pradesh. Villagers were felicitating him for - of all reasons- taking on Chief Minister Mayawati.

Close aides say Pilot has been spending more time at his ancestral home that falls in the Dadri area there than in Ajmer. Incidentally, Dadri also houses Badalpur, which is Mayawati’s village.

Just recently the Congress held a massive campaign against Mayawati for allegedly usurping the land of the villagers to build a palatial house. The Congress game plan is clear and perhaps it has decided that Pilot’s entry in Dadri could make a difference.

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Take ‘em all, says Chidambaram

Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s patience with journalists can sometimes wear thin and he is never one to let go of a chance to make a barbed remark.

This was evident after a recent cabinet briefing where the press corps trailed Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni, eager to ask more questions in the corridors of Shastri Bhavan. It was just then that the group crossed the home minister who was entering the conference room to brief the press on the deliberations of the cabinet committee on economic affairs.

Without any provocation, he blurted out: “Soniji, please take all of them with you.”

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Women cabbies: Melbourne ride did the trick

That Delhi is all set to get courteous women cab drivers, conversant in English, ahead of the Commonwealth Games, is well known. It now transpires that it was Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s brainchild.

During a visit to Melbourne for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, Dikshit hopped into a cab and was enthused to see an elderly woman behind the wheel. She was doubly impressed that the driver, probably in her late 50s, took pride in her work and talked highly of the Australian metropolis. That taxi ride proved memorable.

Quick to translate idea into action, she spoke to the Azad Foundation which trains young women from underprivileged communities. Already 16 drivers have been trained and that should double in a few months. The service will be co-owned and managed by the women stakeholders.

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