Column

Here’s the latest twist to the ongoing soap operastarring Vilasrao Deshmukh. The man apparently tipped to replace him as chief minister of Maharashtra, Sushil Kumar Shinde, isback in action in the powerministry after lying low for some weeks.

The reason for the new spring in Shinde’s step and the smile on his face is said to be
an assurance that he will not be banished to Mumbai afterall. Shinde was a reluctant CM-in-waiting because of his disastrous experience the last time hewas asked to take over fromDeshmukh.

He not only lost his own seat soon after,he was also blamed for his party’s reduced tally inthe assembly polls. This time, he lobbied hard tostay on in Delhi, but his high command seemeddetermined to pack him off to Mumbai.

With thependulum swinging in Deshmukh’s favour again, it looks like the going-going-not-yet-gone CM may getanother reprieve. Wonder how many of his nine lives he’s used up.

Congress circles have no credible explanation forthe secret of Deshmukh’s survival. Obviously,he has a powerful someone in 10, Janpath’s innercoterie batting for him. Removing him becomes acomplicated exercise when it gets linked to the
complete overhaul of the Congress leadership inMaharashtra.

That’s the kind ofconundrum hissupporters have managed to create for the leadership. If Deshmukh is removed, then why not hisdetractors, like state party presidentPrabha Rau and general secretary overseeing Maharashtra Margaret Alva? A party that’s already grappling with myriad problems of leadership all over the country can’t seem to dredge up the energy to take tough decisions. Even the appointment of a new governor for thestate is proving to be a Himalayan task. Long live Deshmukh then till the next crisis.

Here’s one person who seems unhappy withthe turn-of-events — the newly appointed ministerof state for power, Jairam Ramesh. Much to hisdismay, Shinde has been showing renewed interestin the ministry for the past few days and is threatening to curtail his junior’s burgeoning profile.

Ramesh had spread himself out in the expectation that hiscabinet boss would soon move to Mumbai. He started making policy pronouncements and paid high
profile visits to power stations. And Shinde let him, meekly retreating into the background as his shift to Mumbai loomed darkly on the horizon.

He did not even bothering to make the mandatory work allocation that would have marked out the boundaries of Ramesh’s turf. That’s all changed as of last week. Ministry officials expect a cabinet order very soon toreassert Shinde’s supremacy.

TAILPIECE

Our national weakness for freebies landedthree employees of the Meridien Hotel in
police detention for several hours the daythe Olympic torch relay took place in the Capital. On their way to work that tense morning,they happily accepted the Free-Tibet and Torch-4-Tibet T-shirts anti-China protestors were distributing. Quite oblivious of the implications, theemployees put on the T-shirts and walked into the heavily guarded hotel where the Olympic flame rested, only to be picked up by panicky cops who thought they were Tibetans!

They spent the rest of the afternoon at the Parliament Street police station and were let off only when the relay ended and the flame was safely on its way to Thailand.

Email: a_jerath@dnaindia.net