Chanakya
Ambika, a falling star?
Ambika Soni, who once upon a time was known to be a close confidant of Sonia Gandhi, is nowadays a spent force in the Congress Party. It is said that the party general secretary, Janardhan Dwivedy, has taken up Ambika'schair. In the recently concluded AICC session in Delhi, Janardhan Dwivedi had drafted the speech for Sonia Gandhi. It is discussed in the Congress circle now that it is Janardhan who suggests new ideas and vision to Sonia Gandhi for the party. Ambika is also no more in charge of the media. She is worried at being deprived of the opportunity to keep in touch with the media that provides her exposure and publicity as well. Ambika is also not at the helm of affairs of those states where assembly elections are due.
A matter of status
Who is more important. A puppet or puppeteer? The Public Affairs Section of US Embassy, New Delhi has recently published a colourful booklet of 130-pages entitled People, Progress, Partnership. In the very opening page of the booklet there is a large one-and-a-half-page image of Collin Powell meeting Sonia Gandhi, while a single column image of our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is published on page number eleven. Chanakya feels that it was very unlady-like to behave thus with a gentleman like Manmohan Singh.
A way to hell
The NDA government during its tenure had decided to open six All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in different states as there is a heavy load of patients on the single existing AIIMS in Delhi. The state of-the-art facilities available at AIIMS are hardly found in any private hospital. At the time of declaration, the then NDA government had released Rs one crore as initial expenditure. Rs 350 crore was earmarked for each AIIMS in the respective states. After formation of the UPA government, the new Health Minister, A. Ramdoss, is silent on the mega projects on the plea of financial constraints.
