Monday, August 29, 2011

The Tribune-Chatterati-29th-August-2011

"Grand couple, grander celebrations"

The Second Sin', the posh new avatar of the barely laminated 'Manre', was the venue for the first wedding anniversary celebrations of Sunanda and Shashi Tharoor. One of the city's most social couples had put together a very varied guest list that ranged from Sunanda's army childhood classmates to Tharoor's companions.

Guests were entertained in style presided over by 'Second Sin' owner and Rajya Sabha member K.D.Singh. But the highlights of the evening were the two presentation ceremonies--a painter who had done a large portrait of the much-in-love middle-aged couple and a printer who had dedicated a calendar with pictures of the couple adorning its pages.

The Anna Hazare tumult and the relatively faraway Saket location meant that many of Delhi's spoilt citizens who rarely travel outside their comfort zone of Central Delhi were missing in action.

But cheerful friends made up for the absence of the politicians and Shashi's colleagues, the members of Parliament. Giving an Anna touch to the evening were Kabir Bedi and his effervescent daughter Pooja Bedi flushed with stories of their speech from Anna's podium earlier in the day. Then there was a crooner who sang old film numbers praising the lovebirds Sunanda and Shashi. Though the crowd was thin, the spirits were high and the food was good.
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"Cong misses Sonia"

In and out of Parliament chaos is supreme. The public is angry and so sorry that the taxpayer's money is going waste. As two spokespersons Jayanti Natrajan and Ashwani Kumar are now cabinet members, the Congress has two new spokespersons Renuka Choudhary and Rashid Alva. But sadly no Congress spokespersons are a match to the Anna team. Public temper is at the highest at the arrogance of the Congress troubleshooters. The Congress has constituted a team which is called G-7, informally of which seven ministers are members. They make the strategy to tackle media regularly.

This was constituted after the Anna Hazare fiasco in May where the government fumbled and appeared confused and weak to handle the issue. This committee has experienced and smooth talkers like Ghulam Nabi Azad and this is the first time an Indian government has institutionalized media management in this manner, where a group of ministers discuss and then in a united way handle media.

Chidambaram and Ambika Soni, members of G-7, are always prepared to take on the hungry media even though team Anna's anger towards the home minister is at its highest peak. But the minister's presence adds credibility and substance to the tackling of questions on all issues, including political.

The media-management structure was put together at the core committee of the Congress where the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi were present. Articulate lawyers but not politically savvy are the ones who are being blamed for the mess even though savvy politicians hardly talk.

Pawan Bansal brings to the table the views of other parties while the seasoned Ambika Soni sends out important headlines to the team in the morning. Then these ministers are given an update when they meet. This is how now the troubled government gets its views across. Of course now every hour there is something new that erupts and has to be tackled. As the media now plays the role of the opposition, they have to be careful all the time. But none of their assurances can get the emotionally charged public to be quiet now. There is a joke doing the rounds that when the lady of the house is away, the house is in disarray. With Sonia away, the Congress is in a state of complete confusion. The Congress is surely missing Sonia Gandhi and how?

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